ST Planners' Club

[DanWalker8 3]

This is a friendly idea I came up with based of Astro1347's thread on Sim City and Charettes. I thought it would be great to have a place on ST for people who are either planners, or in planning programs (like myself). I think an introduction fits: I am a first year graduate student at Ball State University in their program for Urban and Regional Planning. If anyone has questions about issues that arise in planning practice or study, I'd like this to be the place to seek opinions and information.

[ExiL3 10]

Well I guess this is my kind of club then

I'm studying for my masters degree in urban and regional planning at the university of life sciences in southern parts of metropolitan Oslo. I've got 4 more years before I have to write my master's assignment, so no stress there...

take care,

[Duke87 1,070]

Don't forget that without us engineers, nothing you guys plan could ever get built.

[DanWalker8 3]

Exil: you are in a 4 year program for URP? mine is only two!

[ExiL3 10]

Dan: 5 actually, a masters degree in Norway is 5 years. 3 years to a bachelor degree, then 2 more for the masters...

Duke: ...and without architects the stuff you build is going to look like crap, and without the welders, concrete specialists etc. the building won't stand and your calculations are worth nothing... the list goes on, what was your point exactly?

[DanWalker8 3]

without demand for buildings, we're all out of jobs!

[Haljackey 17,241]

Well I'm taking urban development right now so I may as well say hello.

I'm in more human/transport geography, but urban planning plays a key component in this.

Best,

-Haljackey

[DanWalker8 3]

Exil: I see, counting undergrad, it takes 6 years for a master's in the US, in general. It has been a lot of fun!!

[DanWalker8 3]

Welcome, Haljackey! What year/where do you study?

[Craig91 12]

I hope to be studying Geography, Planning & Environmental Policy next year if I do well enough in exams, so wish me luck planners

[dedgren 830]

Hey planners! This sounds like a great idea. I graduated from a dual law-urban planning program in 1988 with a J.D. (law) degree from University of Richmond and a M.U.R.P. (Master of Urban and Regional Planning) degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, both in Richmond, Virginia, in 1988. I've worked as a practicing planner for a local government (St. Lawrence County) in the State of New York- it's a great job and I admire and envy all of you folks for having a career in the field ahead (as opposed to more or less behind) you.

Bookmarked!

David

[Haljackey 17,241]

Originally posted by: DanWalker8 Welcome, Haljackey! What year/where do you study?quote>

I am currently a second-year student at The University of Western Ontario, currently majoring in geography.  The geography program there has a a focus on urban development, which I am taking now.  So far I like it and am doing well in the course! 

[organicsabre 1]

Well I'm an Architectural Technologist and without me architects buildings don't work and engineers have a stress overload, i am the middleman that makes buildings work technically and help teh engineer come up with solutions.

[hamsterTK 93]

accepted as a transfer student to Texas State, plan to finish '11, and majoring in Urban and Regional Planning.

[DanWalker8 3]

sweet, nice to have to hamster TK, i didn't know they had a program down there! So you're a sophomore then?

[GreekMan 246]

great thread I hope to be in an Urban planning program in the future! Maybe in Chicago or Canada

currently a junior in high school.....

[ExiL3 10]

Greekman: a good choise

I don't know how you guys do it across the "pond", but I find all my courses very interesting. I am now at my second semester in "urban & regional planning" and I currently have courses in the "history and tradition of urban & regional planning" (mainly about towns in Norway from year 400 -> recent history, but also ancient history), "introduction to national and regional planning". I also have courses in AutoCAD and Adobe programs. Last sememster we had courses in GIS systems and overall introduction courses to different forms of planning.

GOOD STUFF!

take care,

[nofunk 1,933]

Cool thread and hello fellow planners!

I am finishing up my last year of graduate school for urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan. I'm concentrating in transportation and land use planning, although I've also taken a few courses in urban design.

I'm beginning my job search now ... and I'm a littie bit scared!

[SimHoTToDDy 2,938]

Wow, A lot of planners-to-be here. I'm defiantly interested in it, but I'm too much of an artist at heart (that's why I'm going to school for architecture ).

Fascinating stuff, best of luck to all of you,

-Todd

[DanWalker8 3]

the only program i know of in Chicago is at UIC.

[dedgren 830]

I'll just note that all of you currently in school have a huge advantage over the dinosaurs (like me) who received degrees in the 80s and before- you get trained in computer-based GIS systems. With my Mac (a Mac SE30 as I recall- 30 megabyte hard drive and two floppy drives), which I lugged around to grad school in a really nice cordura bag, I was about the highest-speed thing in my department, computing-wise. That all changed a couple of years after I graduated.

David

[DanWalker8 3]

dedgren: Golly. lol

[nofunk 1,933]

Ha ha... GIS may be an advantage, but it can also be a curse, especially when you work in it 8 hours a day like I do lol.

Also: 30 MB hard drive !!! I thought my first computer -- a Macintosh Classic -- was bad, but I think you've got me beat!

[cityspade 0]

Originally posted by: DanWalker8 This is a friendly idea I came up with based of Astro1347's thread on Sim City and Charettes.quote>

I was just about to start this EXACT SAME thread based on that EXACT SAME previous one. I always do say that all planners think alike...

Hi-ya gang! I'm a planner too. Currently in the 5th year of a bachelor's at the University of Cincinnati. Its good to see I'm not the only one who plans both the real world and the sim world.

Originally posted by: nofunk Ha ha... GIS may be an advantage, but it can also be a curse, especially when you work in it 8 hours a day like I do lol.quote>

...Oh man tell me about it. The worst is when you get confused and think you're playing SC when you're working in GIS. I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted looking for the route query button in my GIS toolbars...

-Spade

[Haljackey 17,241]

Originally posted by: dedgren \ With my Mac (a Mac SE30 as I recall- 30 megabyte hard drive and two floppy drives), which I lugged around to grad school in a really nice cordura bag, I was about the highest-speed thing in my department, computing-wise. That all changed a couple of years after I graduated.

Davidquote>

If I recall, 30MB was a lot back then.  Nowadays a single photo can be larger in file size than that.

How times changed.  How much RAM did it have?  I'd assume it wouldn't have more than 16kb .

[DanWalker8 3]

cityspade: lol that is too funny about the GIS. Welcome to the club.

Is anyone going to Minneapolis for the APA conference in April???

[duack 14]

I just started my uni course three weeks ago. Its so fun! Im doing a bachelor of planning at Macquarie University. Best uni in australia I reckon .

[DanWalker8 3]

Awesome Duack, I wish you the best of luck in your education. You have a long ways to go!!

[nofunk 1,933]

Originally posted by: DanWalker8

Is anyone going to Minneapolis for the APA conference in April???quote>

 

Maaaybe... I'm still on the fence but I probably should go.

[DanWalker8 3]

I'm going, confused04 is going to show me the bars hahah... oh yea, AHEM, and the skyway