Ball State University seniors completing urban planning degrees are getting practical experience creating comprehensive plans for three areas in Indiana.
Sixteen students will travel to Brazil, Walkerton and unincorporated Lakeview during September, working with public officials and community members to develop an overall vision of what the community wants to become.
The projects are part of the Comprehensive Planning Studio, which is required for graduation from the urban planning and development sequence. Jim Segedy, professor of urban planning and development, estimated approximately 350 of these community-based projects have been done since the College of Architecture and Planning opened.
"It's kind of bringing together of all the stuff they've done and applying it in a real community with real people and real issues," he said. "They are good kids, so we are going to give them things to do."
These will be the 112th, 113th, and 114th community-based projects, Segedy said, he has worked on. Everything from housing to economic land use to aesthetics will be considered in the planning.-á
Students will be in control of most of the projects. Student leaders were chosen to manage the work at each site, and the students will contribute to all plans, senior Sean Northup said. One of the first steps will be for the students to meet with the community leaders and residents.
"We have a few meetings in the coming weeks to go up and meet people," Northup said. "I'm excited. You get a real sense for what they feel and what they need to improve. You can't get a real sense of that in the classroom."
Besides speaking with people from the area, students will participate in charr+â-¬tt+â-¬s - intensive weekends of research, drawing and presentations -¡-¡- to uncover the needs in each community. When a plan is complete, the students will present it to the community. If it is not approved, they will revise it, he said.
Northup has assisted in eight previous community-based projects before, but is working on these for studio credit. While he is excited about the work, he said, the size of the projects worries him. He has been to Lake County and Brazil, but said he doesn't know what kind of changes they will recommend.
"I just want to get to know them," Northup said. "We try to go in without any preconceived notions. People who live there, who know what's good or bad about the community, tell us."
Some of the aspects senior Christopher Seaton said he appreciates about the comprehensive planning projects at Ball State are how visual and simple the final plans are.
"This is what you want, this is what you currently have and this is what it could look like," he said. "The key to it is to make sure everyone involved understands what is going on."
All the expenses for the projects are covered by the communities and the Building Better Communities Network. The combined estimated cost of the three projects is $60,000, Segedy said.
"We only work with communities that can't afford to go out in the open community and do this," he said. "We don't want to take projects away from our alums."
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