UrbanPlan In The Classroom

UrbanPlan in New York City

ULI New York is currently active in 6 NYC schools –  4 high schools and 2 universities.

High Schools

  • International High School at Prospect Heights (Brooklyn, NY)
  • Brooklyn Technical High School (Brooklyn, NY)
  • St. Raymond High School for Boys (Bronx, NY)
  • Urban Assembly School for Design & Construction (Manhattan, NY)

Universities

  • CUNY New York City College of Technology (Brooklyn, NY)
  • Fordham University’s Real Estate Institute (Manhattan, NY)

As an educator for 28 years I find UrbanPlan to be one of the most practical,  rewarding and worthwhile experiences for my students.  UrbanPlan provides students with a real life, concrete example of what it is to work as team members, to develop communication skills, learn to compromise, the importance of due diligence, being responsible for not only one’s self but for the good of all on the team and use their critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Virginia Meller

Teacher, St. Raymond High School for Boys

UrbanPlan for High Schools

UrbanPlan is offered at over 30 high schools in economics, government, and other courses primarily in the junior and senior years. In the 15 class hours of the curriculum, students form development teams to respond to a “request for proposals” for the redevelopment of a blighted site in a fictional community. Each team member assumes one of five roles: Finance Director, Marketing Director, Environment and Equity Director, Neighborhood Liaison, or Site Planner.

Through these roles, students develop a visceral understanding of how various market forces (supply and demand, availability of capital, risk vs reward, etc.) clash and collaborate with non-market forces (regulation, politics, advocacy groups, etc.) to create the built environment. They must reconcile the often-competing agendas to create a well-designed, market-responsive, financeable, and buildable project.

Create Engaged Citizens

The curriculum was originally developed for economics and selected government classes. However, UrbanPlan is now offered at multiple class types, including Economics, Government, Marketing, Architectural Drawings, and more. The curriculum aligns with all state and national content standards for high school economics and provides a much-needed local government component to government classes.

UrbanPlan for Universities

UrbanPlan for Universities aims to develop land use professionals–developers, planners, architects, investors, and policy makers–who are more sophisticated and effective when they enter the workforce. UrbanPlan moves students from a theoretical and ideological understanding of their discipline to the practical realities and demands of the development team and process. In addition, the module is a challenging team building exercise and introduction to ULI and key leaders in the industry.

In the 12-15 hour unit, students address challenging financial, market, social, political, and design issues, develop a pro forma, and create a three-dimensional model of their plan. The module culminates when the teams present their proposal to a “City Council” of ULI members that awards the development contract to the winning team.

Who is UrbanPlan for?

In UrbanPlan for Universities, the primary target is graduate students whose focus is land use: city and regional planning, business, real estate, architecture, and law. It can be effective in carefully selected fourth-year undergraduate classes where the course ties into land use.

How UrbanPlan Works in the Classroom

Teams address challenging financial, market, social, political, and design issues, develop a pro forma, and create a three-dimensional model of their plan. At strategic times during the project, land use professionals, who have completed the UrbanPlan volunteer training, interact with the student teams. There are two facilitations where professionals visit the teams and challenge the students on their roles, their vision, and the decisions they have made using Socratic interaction. The module culminates when the teams present their proposal to a “City Council” of ULI members that awards the development contract to the winning team.

Facilitators

Through Socratic interaction, volunteers challenge the students to think more critically about the UrbanPlan issues and the specific responsibilities of their “role” (Financial Analyst, Marketing Director, Site Planner, Environment and Equity Director, Neighborhood Liaison).

City Council

UrbanPlan volunteers hear student presentations, challenge their proposals as would happen in an actual city council hearing, and award the development contract to the winning development team