City Planning in Schools

The American Planning Association-NJ Chapter and the Center for Community Planning are pleased to provide a two-week program this summer for junior/senior level high school students in Paterson and Passaic interested in learning more about the city planning profession but we need your help.  The total program cost is $10,000 and APA-NJ is willing to match $5,000 in donations!

The field of planning is deeply rooted in advocating for equity, reform, and justice in all communities. We carry that tradition on through innovative planning, programs, and research designed to reflect America's diversity.

Through this new intiative, we hopes to reach students with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds introducing them to the planning profession, emphasizing the positive impacts of planning in their neighborhoods, and inspiring them to take part of "Making Great Communities Happen."

Program Goals

·  Introduce high school students to the field of city planning as an approach to solve problems in their communities.

·  Raise the level of understanding in urban communities about the potential for solving neighborhood problems and the best approach for bringing about change.

·  Make students more aware of federal, state and local governments, what they do, and how students can participate more fully in local government actions.

·  Make students more aware of college and career options in city planning and related fields

Program Description:

·  The program will be free – no charge to the student – with lunch provided each day.

·  A two-week course at Passaic County Community College in downtown Paterson taught by a certified public school teacher.

·  Program partners/sponsors include the American Planning Association-NJ, The Center for Community Planning, Passaic County Community College and the NJ Community Development Corporation.

·  Class size will be approximately 20 students.

·  Class will meet 5 days a week, from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM, with lunch from 11:30 to 12:30. 

·  Students will be recruited from public high schools in Paterson and Passaic, New Jersey. 

The two week program will include instruction on the following:

·  Urban neighborhoods, ethnicity and cultures.

·  Two field trips, one each Friday, to important sites of interest in the area.

·  The steps in the neighborhood planning process.

·  The many specialties in city planning – land use, transportation, community visioning, strategic planning, community design, transportation, parking, transit-oriented development, economic development, job creation, recreation, art development programs, and environmental resource protection.

·  Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their neighborhoods.

·  Conducting and analyzing research.

·  Data analysis.

·  Municipal agencies and their roles in the planning and redevelopment process.

·  The elements of an effective proposal.

·  Effective speaking and presentation skills.

·  Each class will be expected to complete a planning study; outlining and documenting a problem, selecting an array of solutions, and develop an approach to work with the correct agencies and stakeholders to implement the best solutions.

·  Steps they can take to consider a career in city planning – such as areas of study, universities, and concentrations.

·  Students will be presented with a certificate for completing the program.