[Massplanners] Call for Projects!

[Jeffrey Robert Levine]

Hi planners and affiliates-

I am looking for suggestions for student projects that could help your planning efforts. I would manage student groups to complete these projects. One type is smaller and one larger.

The larger one is an urban downtown or neighborhood center for our Revitalizing Urban Main Streets class in the Fall of 2024. This class brings together a team of 10-15 students, mostly second year Masters students and mid-career professionals, to look at the challenges and opportunities facing a downtown district and recommend ways to help, from financing tools, to zoning changes, to other approaches. I work with the students as their project manager and apply some of the research from our Main Street After COVID<https://dusp.mit.edu/projects/main-street-after-covid-19> work as well as other best practices. This is a three-month course with an early student site visit, a mid-semester presentation to some public board or committee, and a final presentation. Along the way, we ask that our local partner provide information, suggestions and support. Last time the class was taught we worked in Holyoke, MA on South High Street<https://issuu.com/mit-dusp/docs/mit_holyoke_1-31-23-withlinks_a>.

The smaller one is for our Financing Economic Development & Housing class for this spring. This class involves a final project where teams of 2-5 students work with a local partner to do some basic application of the financing tools and models they learn in that class. I am looking for a few projects for this class. These are much smaller, and might involve students designing a potential business assistance program; developing a basic pro forma and zoning recommendations for a site of local interest; or some other project that has a financial element. These projects will result in a final paper and (if desired) a short presentation to the client.

If you have ideas for one or the other drop me an email. It can be very casual, just a few sentences and links to any related documents. Generally our partner communities, agencies and non-profits have found the work to be professional and beneficial (and hasn't generally stirred any pots without prior approval!)

Jeff

Jeff Levine, AICP (he/him)
Lecturer of Economic Development and Planning
Program Head, Housing, Community & Economic Development
Department of Urban Studies & Planning
Room 9-511
jrlevine at mit.edu<mailto:jrlevine at mit.edu>
Personal Zoom Room: https://mit.zoom.us/my/jeff.levine
Levine, J. (2021). Leadership in Planning: How to Communicate Ideas and Effect Positive Change (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429279287
(617) 817-0424
[MIT]

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