It has been two months since I completed my first year of the Master of City Planning at MIT. Returning home to Baltimore, I felt exhausted from the rigors of the program, accomplished because of the mere fact that I completed a year of said program, and enlightened by the many class discussions, projects and experiences that I enjoyed – and not enjoyed – during the school year. I also returned to Baltimore excited about the project that I would work on as a Mayoral Fellow in the Department of Transportation.
Education & Careers
Struggling Cities Meet to Brainstorm Survival Strategies
Representatives from a handful of the country's "fastest-dying cities" met recently in Dayton, Ohio to try to figure out how they could revive their economies and reverse the decline that has been slowly strangling them of jobs, money and people.
The Wall Street Journal
The Best and Worst U.S. Cities to Find Jobs
This infographic from Good shows how unemployment numbers compare in various metros in the country.
Good
Entrepreneurs Thriving in New Orleans
Entrepreneurs are flocking to New Orleans, a boom that some expect to help bring employment levels 98.8% of the way back to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels by 2016.
The New York Times
How Policy Can Make Better Neighborhoods and Schools
A new study from The Brookings Institution discusses how school quality and neighborhood affordability are linked, and how both can be improved.
The Brookings Institution
Top Cities for Young Canadians
Focusing on aspects like earning potential and lifestyle cost, a consulting group has determined the 20 best Canadian cities for young people.
The Vancouver Sun
Gridlock Game Great for Geeks, Short on Complete Streets
Fri, 07/24/2009 - 11:46
Move over XBox; step aside Playstation. The height of game-playing action is free and it's online. The new game in town is University of Minnesota, Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute's "Gridlock Buster". Test your mettle on the increasing levels of difficulty in processing vehicular traffic through a network of intersections.
Applying to Graduate School in Planning: Writing a Good Statement of Purpose
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 07:43
Summer is the time to start thinking about graduate school applications typically due in the late fall and early spring. Previous blogs have looked at how to investigate if planning is for you, find the right program, apply, and decide which offer to take up. This blog looks in more detail at the statement of purpose or letter of intent, an important part of the application packet. The following tips will help you craft a compelling statement:
Planners Needed As Building Rebounds in Australia
Australia, like most of the world, is feeling the hurt of the economic recession. But the rebound is happening, a fact that's especially evident in the building and development world. As new projects get going, the need for planners is on the rise. To meet that need, Australia is increasingly looking beyond its shores.
Finding Planners with Shared Interests: The Post-Graduation Experience
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 06:43
In recent months many planning students have
graduated and are moving on to the next phase of life—jobs, internships,
fellowships, and such. For many this will involve a move to a new place. Even
those staying in the same metropolitan area will seldom make it back to their planning program, and besides their fellow students will have scattered. Graduate school
provides a peer group of those with similar interests and training. How do
recent graduates create such a network when they are no longer in residence at
a university?
The Shared Woes of the Auto Industry and the Black Middle Class
The downfall of the American auto industry is also having a major impact on middle and working class African-American families. This piece from the The New York Times Magazine looks at the connection.
The New York Times Magazine
Community Colleges Set Green Workforce Training Mission
Already a national leader in green building and looking to expand its leadership, the Los Angeles Community College District is launching several collaborative efforts to train a new, green workforce.
The Planning Report
$300,000 to Fund Green-collar Jobs
Mayor of Boston announces $300,000 to create green-collar jobs.
City of Boston.gov
