SCaRP Fall Semester Highlights

As we approach the close of the year, we are thrilled to share a snapshot of our collective achievements and endeavors from the semester. From participating in the Park(ing) Day, where students transformed Tech Square's parking spots into vibrant spaces, to insightful lectures by Swati Janu and Sally Bethea, our community embraced diverse perspectives and initiatives. Biketober provided an excellent opportunity for students to get outdoors and collaborate as a team. Meanwhile, doctoral students excelled at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Conference, showcasing research on topics ranging from measuring happiness to understanding the impact of aging populations on urban agglomeration. The fall also featured engaging capstone planning studios tackling pressing urban challenges and a special visit from Laura Petrella of UN-Habitat. World Town Planning Day welcomed Atlanta Planning Commissioner Jahnee Prince and her colleagues, who shared insights and emphasized the interconnected nature of planning. From celebrating World GIS Day to coming together for a fall feast, our community continued to thrive through shared experiences. We wrapped up the semester with an insightful guest lecture from Dr. Filip Bilijecki who shared some of his work with the Urban Analytics Lab. 

SCaRP alumna Sally Bethea gave a captivating talk about her recently published memoir, “Keeping the Chattahoochee”, in which she shares stories that span from joyous and humorous to frustrating and even alarming, to illustrate the efforts required to preserve an endangered river. In addition, Sally discussed the pivotal role her Master’s in City Planning from Georgia Tech played in shaping her career, aiding her in securing internships and jobs with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and serving as the foundation for her non-profit work as a riverkeeper.

Sally Bethea is the founding director of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy organization that has been protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River for over 25 years. She has been recognized as one of the most influential environmental leaders in Georgia and has received numerous awards for her work. In her book talk, she shared some of the challenges and achievements that she faced as a riverkeeper, as well as some of the insights and lessons on collaboration with city leaders and stakeholders that she learned along the way.  

Yesterday, on World Town Planning Day, we had a special visit from Atlanta Planning Commissioner Jahnee Prince, along with her colleagues Doug Young - an alumnus of SCaRP -, Director of the Office of Design, and Keyetta Holmes, the Director of the Office of Zoning and Development. They shared valuable insights about their current roles, their personal journeys leading up to their positions, and the various challenges they have faced throughout their careers.

Prince and her colleagues emphasized the significance of having a broad understanding of different facets of planning and being a systems thinker, as the planning field is highly interconnected. The conversation was highly engaging and ran far beyond its intended ending time.

Every year, SCaRP and the Student Planning Association (SPA) celebrate World Town Planning Day by inviting a guest speaker chosen by the students. 
 

                                   Read more about the day here.

SCaRP faculty are dedicated professionals, passionate about research and sharing their knowledge and experience for the greater good. They are constantly producing cutting-edge scholarship, securing competitive grants, and engaging with the media and the public. Here are a few fall semester faculty highlights:

• Dr. Paige Clayton published an article titled “Entrepreneurial Finance and the Emergence of Regional Ecosystems” co-authored with Maryann Feldman and Benjamin Montmartin, in the Journal of Economic Geography. The article examines how entrepreneurial finance affects the emergence and evolution of regional ecosystems in the US. 

• Dr. Gregory Randolph published his first article with Georgia Tech affiliation “Does urbanization depend on in-migration? Demography, mobility, and India’s urban transition published online in Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. The article challenges the conventional wisdom that urbanization is driven by rural-urban migration and proposes a new framework to understand India’s urban transition. 

• Dr. Yiyi He received her first research grant at Georgia Tech. Her proposal “AI for Climate Resilient Energy Systems” will be co-funded by Institute for Data Engineering and Science (IDEaS) and Strategic Energy Institute (SEI).Dr. Yiyi The project aims to develop a novel AI framework to optimize the design and operation of climate resilient energy systems. 

• Dr. Elora Raymond along with her colleagues Dr. Megan Hatch, Dr. Benjamin Teresa, and Dr. Kathryn Howell published the article, "A data feminist approach to urban data practice: Tenant power through eviction data". in the Journal of Urban Affairs. The article applies a data feminist lens to analyze the role of eviction data in empowering tenants and advancing housing justice. 
   
• Dr. Bruce Stiftel, Professor Emeritus in the School of City and Regional Planning, has been elected Director-at-Large for the American Planning Association’s (APA) Board of Directors. Dr. Stiftel is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a renowned scholar and educator in the field of urban planning. He will serve a three-year term starting from January 1, 2024. 

• Dr. Brian Stone Jr., director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology was featured in a New York Times Article, "How to Cool Down a City". The article highlights Dr. Stone’s research on urban heat islands and his recommendations for mitigating the effects of climate change on urban temperatures. 

• Dr. Michael Elliot and Dr. Bill Drummond were cited in an article: Composting can help reduce Columbus’ highest source of greenhouse gas emissions by Kala Hunter, in The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.. The article discusses the benefits of composting and the challenges of implementing it in Columbus, Georgia, drawing on the expertise of Dr. Elliot and Dr. Drummond. 

• Dr. Brian Stone Jr. gave a lecture "Approaching the limits of climate viability" at the Price Gilbert Library. The lecture explored the implications of climate change for the future of human civilization and the role of urban planning in enhancing climate resilience. 

• Dr. Perry Yang led a seminar "Urban Systems Design: Carbon Neutrality in Tokyo" at the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems. The seminar presented the results of a collaborative research project between Georgia Tech and Tokyo Institute of Technology on developing a framework and a tool for urban systems design to achieve carbon neutrality in Tokyo. A recording is available here.
   
• Dr. Bill Drummond was the co-principal investigator on a project that created an emissions tracker for the Drawdown Georgia Initiative. The tool provides monthly insights into carbon emissions across Georgia’s 159 counties, providing more timely, accurate, and cost-effective data than the traditional tools used in other climate planning efforts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviewed the tracker and gave special permission for the state to use it on their first climate action plan. Read more about the project here.
   
• Prof. Jairo H. Garcia, Dr. was awarded the Excellence in Climate Leadership Award by the American Public Health Association Center for Climate, Health and Equity. His passion for advancing climate solutions and health equity is well-known to the faculty and students at the Georgia Institute of Technology and we are glad to see it recognized by APHA-CCHE.