univ of pittsburgh?

[towncrier]

Has anyone gone through the Univ. of Pittsburgh's Masters of Public Admin - Urban and Regional Affairs program?

Kind of thinking about it. Am thinking about Pitt because 1) of the lower in-state tuition, 2) I think Pittsburgh is a great town 3) If I go to grad school, want it to be in a big city.

Maybe I can look into Temple too. I live in West Chester, PA, about 25 miles southwest of Philly right now.

Currently I am 26 and have an English BA. Have been doing freelance editing and adv. sales for the past 2 years. Prior to that, I worked for a software company doing all kinds of things, from writing tech manuals to doing RFP responses.

How planning/landscape affects people socially/psychologically has become a big interest over the past 1.5 years or so. Have read Jane Jacob's _Life and Death..._ and all three James Howard Kunstler books on my own so far. Reading a book about Lancaster, PA (by David Schuyler) right now. Lancaster is my hometown.

I don't know exactly what I'd want to do, but if I can in anyway help to create a healthy, traditional landscape of mixed-use walkable places with a concrete sense of place, I'd like to. Maybe I could help with a planning firm's marketing materials? Communications?

Thanks for reading and for any thoughts/advice you might have.

ds

 

[Gedunker]

I'm sorry that I can't add anything valuable about UPitt's planning program, but I have a pretty high opinion of the school itself (I graduated East Stroudsburg in 1982 with a BA in history). I know grads from other programs at PItt and they were quite pleased with their experiences.

Planning can be very generalist or very specific and you should consider what you ultimately would like to do -- it sounds as if you have some interest in design, so urban design classes would be something you would want to have access to. Such a course could lead to work in larger municipal planning agencies, or architecture/landscape architecture private firms. I work for a city of +/- 40,000 and get to do a little urban design where I am my own master. Mostly, I respond to the design of others.

Sorry I can't offer anything more concrete than that. Best of luck.

 

[Budgie]

I'm just posting to see that my name is the most recent post in every subforum of the Cyburbia Community.

 

[Cardinal]

I'm just posting to see that my name is the most recent post in every subforum of the Cyburbia Community.

Not anymore.

I don't know much about the U Pitt's public affairs program. I do tend to favor programs located in a city like Pittsburgh, though, where students interested in planning will be exposed to a good cross-section of issues, from urban ones in the city to rural ones in the surrounding countryside.

 

[OhioPlanner]

Grad School

You expressed an interest in psychological issues in urban affairs. You might consider specializing in environmental psychology, which is what you describe. Essentially this subarea studies how people interact with their environment and looks for ways to improve the environment.

 

[JNA]

You expressed an interest in psychological issues in urban affairs. You might consider specializing in environmental psychology, which is what you describe. Essentially this subarea studies how people interact with their environment and looks for ways to improve the environment.

IMHO-
You should look into the work of William H. Whyte.
http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/placemakers/wwhyte

More info found at that website.