USF College of Arts and Sciences Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program students Beneetta Mary Jose, Abdul Samad Agha, Varshini Renikunta, and Aditi Sugeerappa Hoti earned third place for their design in the American Planning Association National Planning Competition in April.
The Student Design Competition portion of the event brings together teams of students from across the nation pursuing graduate degrees in planning to focus on addressing a community issue in the city where the conference is held—this year being Philadelphia.
(Photo courtesy of Robin Ersing).
“The USF MURP program trains students to become professional planners equipped with the skills to improve community quality of life, enhance local economies, and support environmental resiliency—in Florida and beyond. MURP connects students to planning practice, through internships, mentorships, and planning studio courses—where students collaborate with real-world clients to deliver professional plans,” said Dr. Evangeline Linkous, program director for MURP and associate professor in the School of Public Affairs.
Students were challenged to create planning and design proposals that demonstrated a multidisciplinary and multifaceted approach to promoting “public health, equitable access to nature, inclusive design, and high-quality, affordable housing options for the Logan Triangle area, one of Philadelphia's largest concentrations of vacant land located in the city's Upper North District.”
The MURP students proposed a B-HIVE—Balanced, Healthy, Inclusive, Vibrant and Empowered—model for the Logan community, according to Jose.
Sketch indicating changes in the redeveloped neighborhood completed by MURP students. (Photo courtesy of Evangeline Linkous)
“The proposal centers around a well-balanced, healthy, energetic and dynamic environment with a mix of residential, commercial and recreational uses that fits with surrounding context to restore the grandeur of Logan Triangle that formally attracted people. Creating a community that inspires and improves people every day,” said Jose, who is graduating in 2024 and served as the group’s team leader.
Jose said some of the challenges they faced in the design project was working with a site that was vacant for 20 years and had experienced past environmental issues, including being used as a coal ash fill site, resulting in a 1959 gas main pipe leak and explosion, forcing residents to move from the area.
“Our main concern was that knowing all these issues, how would we bring back people to the site? Why would anyone come to Logan Triangle and stay here?” Jose said. “The amount of research that we had was very extensive, but putting all of that information into just 15-page report and a 10-minute presentation at the conference was extremely hard and challenging.”
Donations provided by APA Florida members covered student travel and expenses for the conference. (Photo courtesy of Beneetta Mary Jose)
“We are extremely proud of the end results that we could deliver for the competition—both the poster and report–and we are also extremely delighted that we could represent USF MURP at the National Design Competition. As a team leader, I am proud of my team members working together to put a high-quality work output with the help of our professors,” Jose said.
“The presence of a Florida student team on this national stage sends a message we all know—the USF MURP program is producing top planning talent! USF MURP earned Planning Accreditation Board accreditation in 2020—signaling the quality of our program—and the achievement of these students provides further evidence of the strength and impact of a USF MURP planning education,” Linkous said.
Receiving national recognition for their design is something Hoti, who is graduating in the summer of 2023, said changed her perspective as a student.
“As a MURP USF student we are taught ultimately to create a better place for living through planning communities sustainably and efficiently,” Hoti said. “The program has varied options where one can choose to be a technician/researcher/advocate/ planner. I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in community development or humanity as a whole.”