ULI Washington’s UrbanPlan program had a busy week before Thanksgiving, starting with the first ever virtual UrbanPlan community workshop on Saturday, Nov. 14^th.  Co-sponsored by ULI Washington and the Prince George’s County Planning Department of M-NCPPC and hosted by Prince George’s County Council Member Derrick Leon Davis the workshop was conducted for residents living in and around Westphalia, Maryland.  M-NCPPC commissioned the workshop as a prelude to a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) that took place in Westphalia the following week, in order to prepare residents to more meaningfully participate in the TAP.  The workshop culminated in a facilitated discussion tying the lessons of UrbanPlan to issues facing the communities in and around Westphalia.  Many thanks to workshop instructors Susan Bell and Bridget Obikoya, and to the 15 ULI Washington UrbanPlan volunteers whose time and support made it possible.

Prof. Kat Grimsley and students

Just two days later, on Monday, Nov. 16^th, UrbanPlan returned to Prof. Kat Grimsley’s Policy and Planning of the Built Environment class at George Mason University.  Part of GMU’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, the class offers students a chance to hone their professional skills and network with ULI members in addition to learning about considerations that impact urban development.

Leadership Institute UrbanPlan Trainees

Finally, on Thursday, Nov. 19^th, 27 members of this year’s Leadership Institute cohort trained to become UrbanPlan volunteers.  The cohort represented the largest class of UrbanPlan trainees within ULI Washington in recent years – all welcome additions as our district council looks forward to Wakefield High School, TC Williams High School, George Washington University and Bowie State University all launching new UrbanPlan programs next semester in addition to our February workshop for Fairfax County and our established programs at Phelps ACE High School in the District’s Ward 5 and at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in suburban Maryland.

If you are not yet trained as an UrbanPlan volunteer or have trained previously but would like to attend a refresher training, please contact Margit Nahra at [email protected].  With all that we have planned for the second half of this fiscal year, we will have plenty of opportunities for you to get involved!