Every fall semester, the second-year MRP graduate students in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass Amherst participate in an intensive studio course. Under the guidance of a faculty member, this course allows students to work on real-world planning projects with local and regional planning agencies. This experience reinforces the MRP curriculum and enables students to apply their knowledge and skills within a community while serving a professional client. Communities and partner agencies also benefit from student project work at a substantially reduced cost.
UMass has undertaken many such studio projects over the past decades. Recent studio projects include:
impaCT2045, Climate Action Plan for South-Central Regional Council of Governments, Connecticut
The South-Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) in Connecticut was awarded a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP).
The 2023 cohort drafted the PCAP that will guide the 27 cities and towns in New Haven County in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants while promoting environmental justice and improving the quality of life for all residents. The 2024 MRP Studio cohort is building upon the work of the previous year's studio by producing core elements of the CCAP, which will help towns across New Haven County plan their course of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2040. Their work for the EPA will be expanded to create an even more comprehensive guide at the individual town level by March 2025.
Valley on Board, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) in western Massachusetts was awarded a Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) grant from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) and Department of Transportation (DOT). The UMass project, Valley On Board (VOB), is part of a larger Pioneer Valley Transit Review and Improvement Planning Study (PV-TRIPS) that also included an update to the comprehensive regional transit plan. Valley On Board advances the goal of the Federal HOPE Program, which is to improve public transit in areas of persistent poverty in the U.S. The Fall 2021 UMass Regional Planning Studio’s portion of the two-year project proposes a set of route alternatives to improve transit outcomes over the next 20 years for riders throughout the Pioneer Valley, with a specific focus on those living in areas that meet the State’s criteria for Environmental Justice Communities (EJCs).
The Fall 2022 UMass Regional Planning Studio analyzed the drivers of change in the region and reviewed the scenario planning conducted in Fall 2021, developed and carried out an accessible, flexible, and interactive public engagement strategy, analyzed data gathered from engagement events, updated route recommendations to be consistent with analysis of the drivers of change and public feedback, and evaluated recommendations using the metrics of access, equity, and efficiency to determine implementation priorities.
Those interested in regional studios should reach out directly to the studio instructor:
Camille V. Barchers, PhD, AICP
Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
https://www.umass.edu/larp/people/camille-barchers-aicp
UMass has undertaken many such studio projects over the past decades. Recent studio projects include:
impaCT2045, Climate Action Plan for South-Central Regional Council of Governments, Connecticut
The South-Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) in Connecticut was awarded a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP).
The 2023 cohort drafted the PCAP that will guide the 27 cities and towns in New Haven County in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants while promoting environmental justice and improving the quality of life for all residents. The 2024 MRP Studio cohort is building upon the work of the previous year's studio by producing core elements of the CCAP, which will help towns across New Haven County plan their course of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2040. Their work for the EPA will be expanded to create an even more comprehensive guide at the individual town level by March 2025.
Valley on Board, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) in western Massachusetts was awarded a Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) grant from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) and Department of Transportation (DOT). The UMass project, Valley On Board (VOB), is part of a larger Pioneer Valley Transit Review and Improvement Planning Study (PV-TRIPS) that also included an update to the comprehensive regional transit plan. Valley On Board advances the goal of the Federal HOPE Program, which is to improve public transit in areas of persistent poverty in the U.S. The Fall 2021 UMass Regional Planning Studio’s portion of the two-year project proposes a set of route alternatives to improve transit outcomes over the next 20 years for riders throughout the Pioneer Valley, with a specific focus on those living in areas that meet the State’s criteria for Environmental Justice Communities (EJCs).
The Fall 2022 UMass Regional Planning Studio analyzed the drivers of change in the region and reviewed the scenario planning conducted in Fall 2021, developed and carried out an accessible, flexible, and interactive public engagement strategy, analyzed data gathered from engagement events, updated route recommendations to be consistent with analysis of the drivers of change and public feedback, and evaluated recommendations using the metrics of access, equity, and efficiency to determine implementation priorities.
Those interested in regional studios should reach out directly to the studio instructor:
Camille V. Barchers, PhD, AICP
Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
https://www.umass.edu/larp/people/camille-barchers-aicp
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