News
2019 MURP Plan-Off!
By Sara Rozmus
This year’s Plan-Off! competition on Friday, May 3, will kick-off a fun-filled evening for Wilder School students, faculty and alumni to gather and learn more about the impact of our Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program on the local and regional community. Join us from 4-6 p.m. for the annual competition at the Downtown Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) Office located at 601 S. Belvidere Street. Afterwards, a special student and alumni celebration will be held at the Home Team Grill located at 1630 W. Main Street. While the Plan-Off is free and open to the public, alumni and students are encouraged to RSVP.
About Plan-Off
Each spring, students from the Wilder School’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program present their professional plan or thesis in a fast-paced, bracket style competition. This year, 13 students will compete for a prize by pitching their solution to a real-world planning, public policy or community development problem before a panel of expert judges. Students have five minutes to present their plans, which will advance through a series of rounds until a champion is named. The event is free and open to the public.
Last year’s presentations ranged from a city storm water management solution to affordable housing policy and to building community access to the James River park system.
The 2019 Plan-Off! Student presentations are:
- Libba McKinsey, “Impact Investing Strategy: Connecting Health & Housing”
- Brett Meadows, “Scenic Corridor & Trail-Oriented Development Plan for Route 5, Charles City County”
- Chris McNamara, “Libby HIll Park Viewshed: Preserving and Enhancing one of Richmond’s Greatest Assets”
- Kathryn Benedict, “Exploring the Intersection of Designing for Crime and the Future of the Public Forum”
- Anna Clemens, “Making a House a Home: A Community Plan for Regional Engagement on Housing”
- Rachel Jordan, “Transit Access Equity in Richmond, VA”
- Bilal Damaj, “VCU Campus Tree Plan”
- Claude Armstrong, “Ampthill Neighborhood Market Analysis & Community Strengthening Plan"
- Sara Rozmus, “Scott’s Addition Green Space Plan: Small Changes Making a Big Impact”
- Jennifer Tillett, “Residential Fire Impacts on Richmond, Virginia: A plan for identifying and educating our most vulnerable communities”
- Ben Jones, “Green Infrastructure Initiative Plan”
- Jessica Turner, “A Strategy for the Cultivation of Community Strength"
- Yingsong Wang, “Assessing the Degree of Access to Urban Parks for Older Adults in The Villages Metropolitan Area of Florida, 2017”
The judges for this year’s event will be:
- Earl W. Anderson, AICP, Senior Planner, York County
- Chelsea Higgs Wise, Community Facilitator, Wise Innovation
- Lee Householder, CEO, project: HOMES
- Burt Pinnock, FAIA, Principal, Baskervill
- Ebony Walden, Founder & Principal, Ebony Walden Consulting
- Mariia Zimmerman, Principal, MZ Strategies, LLC