The Accidental Planner

I clearly remember the day that I received a call from MIT faculty notifying me of my acceptance into the Master of City Planning (MCP) program.  I could not believe that a department within the illustrious MIT (and I do not say that facetiously), the epitomic bastion of computer geeks, rocket scientists and the like selected me for its MCP program.  Moreover, the path that led me to that moment was somewhat accidental. My interest in urban planning, though earnest and fervent today, was not grounded in even the slightest exposure to urban planning or urban design in my pre-MIT life.  

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago.  Graduating in 1998, I spent the next ten years in a number of different positions, but my most significant experience was in financial services.  I worked in Information Technology Training at Morgan Stanley in New York City between 2001 and 2006, and specifically as a Training Specialist for four of the five years I was there.  My group focused on curriculum development and management for programmers in the firm; my myriad responsibilities included reporting, logistics management, marketing and some client relationship and curriculum management.  At the end of 2006, I moved to Baltimore, where I held a number of temporary assignments, some good and some not so good.  I always planned to pursue a graduate education; however, the dearth of job opportunities, given my experience, made the pursuit of an advanced degree urgent.

I heavily pursued business school in previous years.  In my last pursuit (there were a couple), I was advised to try to get into business school via a "backdoor" method, applying to one school – public policy school in particular  – and applying to business school once I was there.  Why public policy school?  My personal advisor, a graduate of public policy school and my husband, thought my chances of getting into a public policy program were good.  With this advice and a new fire in my belly, I started to research public policy schools and stumbled upon a Master of Public Policy/Urban Planning program at that other school in Cambridge.  I became intrigued and even excited by the topics covered in its urban planning program and about urban planning in general.  

As a native of Brooklyn, New York, I observed how previously unpopular neighborhoods in Brooklyn went through urban revitalization and in the process, lost affordable housing along with the people who needed it. I debated with friends and colleagues about the similar fates of neighborhoods, such as Harlem and the Lower East Side in Manhattan.  These processes of urban renewal and the shrinkage of affordable housing were fascinating, and I found a basis for study of these phenomena in urban planning programs.  As they say, the rest is history.  

As a new convert, I look forward to developing the vocabulary of and knowledge base about urban planning and planning theory, and housing and community development.  I also look forward to developing technical skills, such as finance that will be very useful in housing development.  However, the most valuable aspects of my experience at MIT, will be the discourse I will have with classmates and faculty, and the practical experience I will gain doing work with organizations in the field.  This will give me the basis from which I can confidently challenge, influence and lead as an urban planner.