FALL SEMESTER HIGHLIGHTS

News and stories from the fall semester at the School of City and Regional Planning.

This fall at SCaRP has been packed with activity and accomplishments. Students have worked hard throughout the semester, while the school hosted guest lectures and teamed up with faculty to organize engaging events. Read on to see the highlights of our semester!

Here’s a quick look at the events we hosted this semester!

FALL RECEPTION

The School of City and Regional Planning started the semester with a gathering of faculty, alumni, students, industry partners, and members of the Georgia Planning Association. The event offered a chance for alumni and faculty to reconnect, share updates about SCaRP, and for students to network with industry professionals. Highlights of the evening included a fun trivia session and welcome remarks from Gulsah Akar, Chair of the School of City & Regional Planning; Ellen Bassett, Dean of the College of Design; and Kristen Wescott, Georgia Planning Association President and SCaRP alum.

PARK(ING) DAY

The Student Planning Association hosted Park(ing) Day, collaborating with community partners and other student groups to reimagine parking spaces on 5th Street at Tech Square. The event, part of a global initiative, transformed these spaces into a yoga studio, a café, a miniature bus stop, a park, and an area for games. SPA used the event to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets, while also raising awareness about the impact of underutilized surface parking spaces in Atlanta.

WORLD TOWN PLANNING DAY

The Student Planning Association and the School of City and Regional Planning celebrated World Town Planning Day by hosting Eric Kronberg of Kronberg Urbanists + Architects. Each year, the Student Planning Association selects a guest speaker for this annual event. This year’s theme, "Homes Start with Planning," was a great match for Eric Kronberg, who discussed the current housing crisis. He explained the challenges of producing affordable housing and highlighted the disconnect between the existing housing stock and the needs of today’s households. To tackle these issues, Eric proposed practical solutions, such as rightsizing housing, modernizing outdated zoning regulations, and promoting infill development.

Future Airport and Aerotropolis City Design Symposium

At the 2024 Symposium students presented research exploring Urban Design and Systems Engineering methods for Digital Twins. The work focused on the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and its surrounding Aerotropolis communities, using them as a living laboratory to envision a future that is healthy, safe, green, accessible, connected, resilient, and socially inclusive. Presentations, based on the GT Smart City Workshop, addressed four key themes: Sustainable Technology Master Planning, Resilient Airport Systems, Urban Air Mobility (UAM), and Airport-Oriented Development (AOD) by Urban Design. This workshop, established in 2020, is a collaboration between Georgia Tech, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts (AACIDs), and local stakeholders.

MSUA MIXER

MSUA faculty, students, and guests gathered for an evening of networking and discussion at the Fall Reception. The event brought together current students, alumni, and faculty. Adair Garrett discussed her experience as a participant in the interdisciplinary Summer 2024 MSUA Capstone studio in Tokyo, a partnership project between Georgia Tech and the University of Tokyo.

ANNUAL SCARPSGIVING

The School of City and Regional Planning recently gathered to celebrate its annual SCaRPsgiving meal. Hosted by the Student Planning Association, the event provided students, faculty, and staff with a chance to relax, enjoy delicious food, connect with one another, and reflect on the past semester. Despite the chilly weather in the breezeway, lots of SCaRP students, faculty and staff turned out to join in the festivities.

STUDENT PLANNING ASSOCIATION HOST CITYNERD

The Student Planning Association hosted YouTube star CityNerd during his visit to Atlanta. For many students, CityNerd provided their first introduction to city planning and urbanism, as he discusses these topics in an accessible and engaging way. The event gave students the opportunity to explore ideas about cities, transportation, and planning, while CityNerd shared insights from his past career as a planning consultant and discussed his upcoming projects.

WORLD GIS DAY

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day is an annual event that provides an opportunity to explore the various applications of GIS technology. This year Ansley McKenzie (MS-GIST & MCRP ’23) returned to the School of City and Regional Planning to share insights about her experiences at SCaRP, discuss what she wished she had learned in GIST, and talk about her current work. Students had the chance to showcase their projects, explore the work of their peers, and ask Ansley questions about pursuing a career in GIS.

This semester, SCaRP welcomed a lineup of guest speakers who shared their insights and experiences with our students and faculty.

A Case for Climate Optimism

As climate anxiety grows, it’s important to remember that there is hope. This event featured Anna Benkeser and Zealan Hoover from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who presented A Case for Climate Optimism. They discussed how the EPA is leading the fight against climate change through federal investments and highlighted ways individuals can be part of the solution.

Check out their presentation slide deck here.

Reforming Public Engagement in Planning: The Experiment of FlexRide Milwaukee

Professor Ivy Hu, Chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida, delivered a lecture on Reforming Public Engagement in Planning: The Experiment of FlexRide Milwaukee. Her talk highlighted the innovative micro-transit service aimed at addressing transportation gaps in the Milwaukee region, with a focus on equity and environmental justice.

Community engagement in urbanizing Indonesia: Technology, democracy, and civil society

John Taylor joined Professor Randolph's Community Dynamics course to showcase the work of Kota Kita, of which he is a co-founder, and to explain how they aim to bridge the gap between governments and their communities. Through facilitating citizen participation and collaboration, Kota Kita influences urban policies, promotes open access to information, and provides civic education to empower urban citizens.

You can learn more about Kota Kita's work and view John's presentation here.

Geospatial Insights: How Physical and Socioeconomic Environments Shape Our Health

We were thrilled to host Professor Lan Mu from the University of Georgia’s Department of Geography for an insightful lecture titled Geospatial Insights: How Physical and Socioeconomic Environments Shape Our Health. Professor Mu engaged the audience with her research on how various geographic and socioeconomic factors impact public health, prompting discussions and offering valuable perspectives on the role of geospatial data in understanding health outcomes.

Harnessing New Technologies to Plan Less Car-Centric Cities: Insights from a Bicycling Exhibition

Our Center for Spatial Planning Analytics and Visualization hosted Huê-Tâm Jamme for a guest lecture on an innovative experiment that combines art and science to promote bicycling. A team of urban planners and computer scientists from Arizona State University created an immersive exhibition in Tempe, AZ, using Virtual Reality, Lidar data visualization, GIS mapping, first-person-view videos, and traditional displays to foster empathy for bicyclists. The presentation analyzed visitor reactions, including feedback from decision-makers, community members, and bicyclists, while exploring how emerging technologies can help plan less car-centric cities.

Tackling Climate Injustice through Academic, Agency, and Community Collaboration: Cases for California

Dr. Weimin Li addressed questions about climate justice and how climate injustice can be mitigated. Dr. Li discussed strategies for addressing climate injustice in California through collaboration between academic institutions, government agencies, and local communities, offering practical insights and inspiring ideas for effective change.

A snapshot of some of the amazing things our faculty and students have accomplished this semester.

Two SCaRP Students Awarded Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships- SCaRP students Dylan Apelu and Vincent Parisi were awarded the prestigious Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This fellowship recognizes outstanding individuals poised to lead the future of transportation in areas such as infrastructure, planning, safety, and sustainability. You can read more about Dylan and Vince's research here.

Students and faculty collaborated on publications:

Ph.D. student Gabriel Appiah, MCRP graduate Mira Kaufman & Dr. Clio Andris explore how geospatial research is shifting from a reliance on government-collected data to increased use of private sector data, such as social media and location-based technologies. The study emphasizes the importance of addressing data quality, motivations behind industry-driven data collection, and the evolving roles of government and fieldwork in shaping geospatial research. You can read the article here.

Ph.D. graduate Xiaofan Liang and Dr. Clio Andris collaborated on research introducing VADecide, a human-in-the-loop machine learning (HITLML) model for identifying vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. Applied in Savannah, Georgia, the model demonstrated improved accuracy over traditional machine learning methods, highlighting the potential and challenges of HITLML in urban planning. Read more here.

Dr. Perry Yang collaborated with students on two projects stemming from the 2024 Summer Smart City Workshop in Tokyo, Japan, part of MSUA’s Capstone Studio project. The resulting papers were presented at conferences.

Systems-level Methodology for Optimizing Urban Infrastructure Energy Resilience. Read more here.
Leveraging Digital Twin Interface for Multimodal Transportation Resilience, Connectivity, and Equity – A Case Study of Toyosu, Tokyo. Read more here.

Alum Sally Bethea Honored with Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award- Congratulations to Georgia Institute of Technology Master of City Planning alum Sally Bethea for receiving the prestigious Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award! For over two decades, as a riverkeeper, Bethea has led efforts to restore the Chattahoochee River, benefiting the people, animals, and plants that depend on its waters. She now mentors a new generation of river advocates and actively engages Georgians in the fight for clean water and safe recreation. Additionally, Bethea writes a monthly column, Above the Waterline, for Rough Draft Atlanta and has recently published a memoir titled Keeping the Chattahoochee.

PhD student Josh Ayers co-authored a chapter in the recently published book Current and Emerging Trends in the Management of International Disasters. His contribution discusses innovations in humanitarian aid, including anticipatory action and forecast-based financing. Read more here.

Dr. Bruce Stiftel, Professor Emeritus, was selected as Planning Accreditation Board Outstanding Site Visitor of the Year. You can read more about the award here.

Dr. Michael Elliott played a key role in mediating the city’s tree protection ordinance, set to be finalized in December and presented to City Council in early 2025.

SCaRP alum Mira Kaufman brought a creative twist to public transit with their MARTA Scavenger Hunt, a result of their three-month residency with the Fulton County Public Art Futures Lab and MARTA Artbound program. By blending art, community engagement, and urban planning, they’ve made exploring Atlanta’s public transit system a fun and interactive experience. You can see the work here.

Dr. Perry Yang was appointed Guest Professor (Global) at Keio University of Japan from 2024 to 2025.

Dr. Arthi Rao presented her research on racial job access disparities for TANF recipients and its health impact at the APHSA Economic Mobility and Well-Being Conference. Dr. Rao has since returned from Portland to continue teaching her Advanced Planning Methods and Public Health and the Built Environment classes. She exemplifies the impactful, cross-disciplinary scholarship we value at SCaRP.