GREETINGS
It is my 10th year as a pirate planner and 3rd year as the director of the planning program. I must say that every new year has become the best year of my life.
Despite the national trend of diminishing student numbers in planning programs, our Pirate Planning Program has been growing steadily. Our student numbers reached a peak since 2010, with 53 students, including 44 majors and nine minors.
I am grateful for the tremendous support from the Planning Alumni Advisory Board, numerous donors, ambassadors, alumni, faculty and staff, planners-in-residence, SPAN officers, community partners, class and workshop speakers.
You will see and read about many of the fantastic activities and successes of this small program. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Program highlights
Master's in Planning and Development
The Planning Program's request for inclusion to develop a new Master's degree in Planning and Development was submitted to the UNC System Office in the 2018-2019 academic year. Our master's degree was one of four new degree programs that ECU approved last year. This academic year, we are working on a new Request to Establish the degree program.
The new Master's in Planning and Development will be entirely online with three concentration areas: coastal and environmental planning, rural and regional planning, and urban and community planning. Further details will be available as the Request to Establish process progresses.
New Name, new beginning
The Pirate Planning program has renamed the BS in Urban and Regional Planning to the BS in Community & Regional Planning. The name change is consistent with the focus areas of the program, which are community planning and coastal planning.
Faculty News
Dr. Anuradha Mukherji awarded NOAA grant
Dr. Anuradha Mukherji is part of a research team of ECU faculty (PI: Dr. Scott Curtis, Dept. of Geography, Planning, and Environment) that has been awarded a NOAA Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (NOAA-COCA) grant.
Coastal estuarine environments are susceptible to a combination of multiple water hazards that are concurrent or sequential, often storm-related, and contribute to societal, economic, and health risks. These have recently been defined as compound events. The research team proposes to co-produce compound event non-structural tools with emergency managers and planners in coastal counties of North Carolina, making up three regional government councils and roughly coinciding with the northeast and southeast economic zones. The team will work closely with the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments, the Mid-East Commission, and the Albemarle Commission.
Dr. Burrell Montz's Opinion article
Dr. Mulatu Wubneh's Ethio-Sudan Boundary Actions
Dr. Mulatu Wubneh retired in Spring 2017 after 38 years of dedicated work at ECU, has been very active in the Ethio-Sudan boundary issues. He was invited to the ESAT Special Program Ehiopiawinnet Symposium as a speaker (available on youtube) and recently published a book, "The Ethio-Sudan Boundary: Historic Development, Demarcation and the Prospect for Resolution of Boundary Conflict." (2008)
Student Internship
Heather Mosesso - Village of Simpson
By Heather Mosesso, Junior Planning Student
This summer I am interning for the Village of Simpson. Simpson is a small community located a few miles east of Greenville. Working in the Town Hall has allowed me to experience many new things and gain knowledge on what it will be like to work as a planner.
For my internship, I attend all of Simpson’s Council meetings and Planning Board meetings. Attending the meetings allowed me to see how a Council board interacts with their community members. An average day in the Town Hall for me usually depends on what project the Mayor or Town Clerk has assigned to me. The first few weeks, I wasn’t in the office a lot as I was going door to door surveying all the housing types in Simpson. This will help with the 2020 Census and was a great way for me to meet members of the community. Another project I have worked on was figuring out all the abandoned houses in Simpson so that they can start to work on getting them demolished or fixed up. I also helped to review the voter's list and figure out which ones are outdated and need to be removed; this will help with elections in the fall. I also assist any residents that come into the Town Hall needing help.
This summer, I was also able to get the Bookmobile from Sheppard Memorial Library to start visiting the Town Hall. The program helps members of the community that may not be able to make it to the library can stop by the Town Hall for books. I have also helped order speed bumps and bleachers for the community park so that it is a safe and fun place for kids to enjoy.
I have loved working for the Village of Simpson because it has allowed me to see what it's like to work for a small community. Through my internship, I have been able to see what parts of planning I enjoy working with. The classes and teachers I've had at ECU helped prepare me for my internship and what it will be like to work in the field after I graduate.
Rebecca Mountz - Stewart
James Brady Golden - Town of Beaufort
By Brady Golden, Sophomore Planning Student
For my summer internship, I’ve been working with the Town of Beaufort’s Planning and Inspections department. Beaufort, North Carolina, is my home town and a little piece of paradise. With about 4,100 people, Beaufort is not very populous, but steadily growing in the downtown and surrounding areas. When Spring and Summer come around, this small town becomes bombarded with tourists from all over the country. With tourism being our major means of industry, “Ding Batters” fuel our local economy.
Most of the work I have been involved with this summer has been making accommodations for these visitors. The addition of two new hotels and The Beau Coast housing community has caused a lot of excitement in our town. The majority of the site plans that I have looked over have come from these new establishments. Tagging along with the code enforcement officers to these sites has allowed me to view the importance of their job. Passing inspection codes ensure that buildings are sound and secure.
Two of the biggest components I learned during this internship was the importance of communication and working with people. Every planning board, Adjustment board, Commissioners, and Historic preservation meeting I attended required these skills. Making clear and concise presentations is important for visual components. Projecting your voice to the audience is key in delivering a proficient address.
Meeting with clients and other town officials is a daily task in the life of a town planner. Discussing ideas, voicing concerns, and logical thinking is a requirement when communicating with the public. This internship has given me a taste of the planning life and allowed me to gain knowledge and use tools during the rest of my college and professional career.
Student's achievements
Savannah Newbern
NCAFPM Scholarship
"My name is Savannah Newbern, and I am a senior studying Community and Regional Planning at East Carolina University. My professional interests include coastal management, GIS mapping and visualization tools, hazard mitigation, and developing ecological health and public safety through planning. Due to these interests, I applied for the North Carolina Association of Floodplain Managers (NCAFPM) academic scholarship of $500. When I was selected as a recipeint, I was invited to attend the first day of the 2019 NCAFPM Annual Conference held in Wrightsville Beach, NC on May 6th-8th, to be presented with the award.
At the conference, I was lucky to attend multiple educational sessions addressing upcoming software tools, on-going research, and implementation of local flood management plans. A detailed presentation analyzing North Carolina's hurricane and flooding vulnerabilities was accompanied by instruction on how to address issues of climate change and weather polarization with the general public. These opportunities to learn more about the day-to-day practices of planning departments from all over the State utilizing floodplain management were very interesting.
From this experience, I received knowledge and professional development in areas pertaining to floodplain management and coastal development. The most impressive aspect of the conference was interacting with dedicated professionals, and seeing their efforts to minimize the economic and social impacts of flooding while strengthening resiliency in communities. I would certainly recommend applying for this scholarship to all students interested in floodplain management or studying in a related field. Not only does the scholarship assist in me in continuing my education, but the connections I made at the conference as well as the practical knowledge I gained will be invaluable tools for working in any region of North Carolina." - by Savannah Newbern, Planning Senior Student
Nick Musarra
APA-NC Award for best Undergraduate Student Project
“It was a pleasure to work on this vision plan for the Town of Murfreesboro, North Carolina as part of my Planning Practicum, and to speak with and begin to understand the residents of the community during the project. Movement Murfreesboro is a tool to be used by Murfreesboro, North Carolina. It is a call to action for the town and its residents to create a single vision from its many diverse backgrounds and experiences. The town is encouraged to use components from this plan to develop its vision. The vision may reflect the town’s past, and it may also reflect its aspirations for the future. In any case, the vision should incite movement among its residents and visitors. The project represented a culmination of research skills and the application of community development concepts developed throughout my career at East Carolina University (ECU), and I was able to add creative pieces of myself into this vision plan. I am honored to be recognized by the ECU Department of Geography, Planning, and Environment and by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NC) Awards Committee for this award.” - by Nick Musarra, AICP Candidate, Assistant Planner at WSP. Graduated in Spring 2019
The project, Movement Murfreesboro Vision Plan, was a collaboration between the ECU Urban and Regional Planning Program and the Mid-East Commission.
Madeline Tripp
Urban and Community Forest Grant
Madeline Tripp, a Planning minor student, worked as an intern at the Uptown Greenville. She wrote and was awarded a $4,400 grant from the Urban and Community Forest Program, North Carolina Forest Service, to conduct a tree inventory in the Uptown district.
Marina Hobday
ECU International Undergraduate Student Award
Marina Hobday, a Planning minor, received the ECU International Undergraduate Student Award. The award recognizes her contribution to the “I Exist” movement on campus. "I Exist" is a movement to fight mental health stereotypes. For more about the movement, visit the East Carolinian news article here.
Rebecca Mountz
2019 Planning Alumni Scholarship
Spencer Crawford
S. M. Hankins Scholarship
Kyle DeGroot
APA Outstanding Senior student award
Planner-in-Residence Program
Mr. James Rhodes, AICP
James Rhodes joined the Urban and Regional Planning faculty in Spring 2019 via the Planner-in-Residence Program. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Geography from East Carolina University with an undergraduate minor in Urban and Regional Planning. James currently serves on the ECU Planning Advisory Board, is a past president of the ECU Planning Society and is a co-leader for Section 5 of the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association. He has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 1993 and is a 2002 graduate of the County Administration Program through the UNC School of Government. James has served as the Planning Director for Pitt County since 1996 and has worked with the County’s Planning Department for over 30 years. Prior to his employment with Pitt County, he served as Technical Assistance Director for Region L Council of Governments and as a Demographic Researcher with the East Carolina University School of Medicine. Courses: PLAN4065 Land Use Planning and PLAN3032 Planning Legislation and Administration
Mr. Merrill Flood
Since 1988 starting his planning career as a planning technician, Merrill Flood has witnessed Greenville's history in planning and development over a period of 30 years. He currently serves as the Director of Planing and Development at ECU Community Engagement and Research. His knowledge and experience in community building and housing, and his leadership and a keen understanding of political dynamics as a planner is of immense value to our planning students. Merrill Flood is our first Planner-in-Residence since Fall 2018 and has offered a series of SPAN Table Talk sessions. Courses: PLAN2030 Global Cities and PLAN4099 Planning Practicum
Mrs. Ellen Hoj
With a Master's in Landscape Architecture and Urban & Regional Planning, Ellen Hoj, Senior Urban Designer & Senior Planner, City of Wilson, has worked as an urban designer, planner, landscape architect, and land developer for 29 years. Her broad professional experiences from both public and private sectors brought vast knowledge to our planning practicum class. She taught PLAN4099 Practicum in Planning in Spring 2019.
Reflection from a student
By Samuel Hunter, former SPAN president, graduated in Spring 2019
During the 2018-2019 school year, our planning program had the opportunity to have three “planner in residence.” Our three instructors, Mr. Merrill Flood, James Rhodes, and Ellen Hoj, brought a lot to the table that can and will benefit not only future planners but also anyone entering the local government field. Their backgrounds are very broad and each of them could relate to the students in different ways so that we may achieve our highest levels of skill sets at a young age.
Each professor offered different experience advice on different levels and from different regions across the state and even country. The three different personalities also helped myself and classmates understand them on a personal level that sometimes we may lack with our day-to-day professors. Their levels of experience varied from an assistant city manager to a senior urban designer and to a planning director. Having them provided us students with hope that there are opportunities to succeed in our field at the highest levels also. These instructors brought in a new light and new feel to the courses. Their course work helped us stay engaged and also drew more attention to detail in our work.
Projects such as PLAN4099: Planning Practicum taught us how to go in depth with research about areas of focus and also provided us real life opportunities to practice our networking skills with local officials. Our instructor for practicum, Mrs. Ellen Hoj provided us with many resources specific to our research area such as published articles, GIS data, and many contacts that could provide us with useful information or point us in the right direction to get the data that we may have wanted to obtain. Mrs. Hoj is someone who would go the extra mile to see her students succeed or accomplish anything they set their mind on doing. She is a fantastic leader and that explains her dynamic abilities and outgoing personality. When she wasn’t providing us with useful knowledge about the planning world, she always brought in some tasty treats to give us just a little bit more motivation to finish out the day strong. One of the main things that I believe benefited myself and classmates the most from Mrs. Hoj class is never be afraid to ask for help no matter what the situation or who the person is that may need help from. The worst thing they can say or do is say they don’t know but they may be able to direct you in the right direction to achieve your goals. Some people have more knowledge about certain areas than others but if you ask them in a confident and timely manner then they should be able to help you. Our course long project required a lot of help from different people in different areas of planning and Mrs. Hoj always knew who to send us to obtain the information we needed. The famous quote is “Its not always about what you know, it’s about who you know.” Even though Mrs. Hoj had a lot of knowledge that benefited us, she also knew a lot of people that could benefit us.
I didn’t have the opportunity to be in Mr. James Rhodes class but we came into contact a decent amount this semester and I know if there was anything that I needed I could rely on him to get it to me. Mr. Rhodes knowledge of the planning profession is one of the best in the state. He has a very deep background in the planning profession and anyone who is a planner in North Carolina knows who he is and what he is capable of. Though he may not have been my instructor this year, the planning department gained greater level of in the field knowledge when he joined. Mr. Rhodes provided the department with resources throughout Pitt County that many citizens in the community might not have known they have access to such as parcel information and council meeting agendas. Mr. Rhodes provided his students with opportunities to venture out in the community and see the little things that planners have to do while on his walking tour around campus and the downtown corridor. He always provided different classes with guest appearances to spread his knowledge of the profession and help develop future planners to follow in his footsteps.
Our third planner in residence is Mr. Merrill Flood. Established could be a word to describe him but the first one that comes to my mind is “Altruistic.” Though us upper classmen we did not have the opportunity to have Mr. Flood as an in class instructor, we did have the opportunity to interact with him weekly at our table talks every Wednesday after classes were over. It is easy to see that Mr. Flood cares about the future of young people and will invest everything he has into them to see us succeed. Mr. Flood also provided diversity in the department, which is something we lacked for a while. He was able to connect with my classmates and I on a more personal level than any of the other instructors in my opinion. The information Mr. Flood provided us at these after class sessions gave anyone who attended a leg up on the competition when it came to being in the work force. He provided us with mock interviews with local officials, terminology we would encounter on a daily basis, how to read a zoning ordinance the correct way and many more skills that will help us along the way. Mr. Flood is a man of the people and spent countless evenings at the university trying to help us be the best planners that we can be when he could’ve been at home with his own family. He adopted my classmates and I as his own family and still continues to communicate and make sure that we are applying what he has taught us.
Overall, the planner in residence program that the department has adopted is a fantastic way for students to get a different perspective than just theoretical practices that we have in majority of our courses. This is a program that can help our department for the best and can continue to make progress as the new instructors gain experience being in front of classrooms and learning how to relay their information to students.
"Sustainable Urbanism of Seoul, South Korea"
Planning program's summer study abroad program
May 27, 2019 - June 10, 2019
Ten students and two professors (Dr. Burrell Montz and Dr. Misun Hur) visited Seoul, South Korea, this summer. With "sustainable urbanism" as the main theme, the program has four focuses: Environmental innovation, transportation innovation, world and historic architecture, and culture.
Students visited 32+ sites, including Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service center (SEOUL TOPIS), the Incheon Free Economic Zone (iFez), the Chenggyecheon Stream Restoration Project, and the World Cup Park. We met urban designers, landscape architects, city officials, and historians to hear from the professionals directly.
- Two weeks in Korea
- Total steps made: 305,081 steps (21,791 steps/day)
- Total miles walked: 134.58 miles (9.61 miles/day)
- Total photos and videos I took: 1,605 photos and videos (7.83 GB)
Student's blog and Video
Students who participated in the Seoul Study Abroad selected a topic within the topic of Urban Sustainability. Each student wrote a daily blog throughout the trip and designed a video as the term project. Below are some examples to show our journey.
Blog: On Top of the World!... Almost
by Billy Weschler
"So, today we all braved the top of the Lotte World Tower. This was the highest man-made structure I have ever been to the top of and the feeling of being as high as the clouds is absolutely surreal. I'm not typically too scared of heights, especially if they are rock formations or mountains on the earth, but there is something special and uniquely scary about being on the top of such a modern engineering marvel. The Lotte World Tower is only the 5th tallest building in the world... So, only four more to go! The ride to the top of this 123 story, 1820 ft tall structure is about one minute, flying up at about 10 meters per second. Once you get to the top, the sights are limitless, unless the air quality is terrible. We were lucky enough to have clear enough weather to see all of Seoul... From a complete view of Olympic Village, to Lotte World, and the Han River, the feeling of walking on the glass floor was that of walking on clouds. In terms of architecture, the sheer scale of this building is enough of a talking point, but this building is shaped to withstand fierce winds. The shape is based upon the shape of a traditional Korean vase, but at the top, all I can see is a banana peeling. The next architectural marvel I am ready to go to the top of is the beautifully curved Shanghai Tower... I think the Lotte World Tower prepared me for any building in existence."
Video: use of green spaces and vegetation incorporated in design
By Julia Catlin
"Using green spaces is crucial in working towards a sustainable city. It benefits the environment and human experience. A key benefit in utilizing green space is the mitigation of the urban heat island effect; therefore it helps cities retain the areas natural temperature. Greenspaces and vegetation also help to filter out carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and reduce the number of harmful pollutants in the air. Aside from helping the environment, vegetation can also have a massive impact on people and culture, impacting how they experience their city. In small doses, vegetation brightens an area and breaks up the hard urbanscape of harsh concrete and large buildings. In large doses, greenspaces create public spaces for people to occupy, incorporate into their daily lives, and has significant cultural impacts.
I visited Seoul South Korea with a study abroad group from ECU, learning about world architecture, urbanism, and planning. During the trip, I focused on the use of green spaces and vegetation within the urban area. ..." (a narration clip from the video below)
Video: A Study of Modal Choice
by Savannah Newbern
"South Korea is a vibrant nation in East Asia that is home to fifty million people. One half of SK population live within the metropolitan area of Seoul, while ten million live within the city’s boundaries. Seoul’s density is 42,000 people per square mile. This rate of destiny is 8 times that of New York City. Despite this large population, the number of personal vehicles in Seoul is relatively low hone compared to American cities. Only 1 in 3 Seoul residents own a car. The remainder of Seoul’s residents and visitors rely on other modes of transportation.
While in Seoul, I wanted to see if people were benefiting from these alternative modes of transit. Specifically, I looked at subway and bus lines, taxis, pubic bicycle rental programs, and pedestrian corridors. ..." (a narration clip from the video below)
Student Planners Action Network
Letter from Anna Willis, President of SPAN 2019-2020
Welcome back! My name is Anna Willis, and I am this year’s SPAN President. It is seriously crazy to me how much this program and organization has grown over the last three years that I have been a “Pirate Planner”. I am SO excited for what is going to be in store for us this year, and cannot wait to meet the new members and see the returning ones. If you don’t know by now, the Student Planners Action Network is a student organization open to Planning majors, minors, and Graduate Certificate program students at ECU, but we are always open to other students who have an interest in the planning field. Our organization last year made a major turn for the better, thanks to our 2018-2019 President, Samuel Hunter and our awesome Director, Dr. Hur. I expect to continue this upward trend of greatness by getting involved as much as possible in making sure everyone in the major feels welcomed and their ideas are accounted for. By setting the platform early in the school year, and scheduling community outreach opportunities, I know we will be set for anything that will come our way! One of my main focuses will be on getting our underclassmen involved as much as possible. They are the future of this organization, and SPAN is a pivotal resume booster for anyone going into the planning field.
I hope to continue our upward growth by being more involved in our community than ever before, and the only way I believe this can happen is by holding more regular meetings where we have (at least) a 80% attendance rate of members. I believe the only way we can all effectively communicate ideas and set dates for events, is by being face to face and allowing communication whenever is needed. Over the years we have participated in a lot of community outreach events, such as participating in street clean-ups (we have our own street!), volunteering with the PAL after school program, A Time for Science expos, attending APA-NC Workshops, and so many other cool events. While I do plan on continuing as many of the community outreaches as possible, SPAN gets to play a major role in something extremely cool that only happens every ten years! That’s right... SPAN will be involved in spreading the word to the ECU campus regarding the importance of filling out the 2020 Census.
As college students in Pitt County rank as an undercounted population from the last census, it is our job to make sure everyone is counted for. I am currently an intern with the Pitt County Planning Department, and am the ECU student liaison for Pitt County’s Complete Count Committee. I intend on spreading my resources to our organization and campus by promoting the Census closer towards the spring semester, but preparing for this throughout the fall. This is going to be extremely exciting for our students to be exposed to, as it only occurs every ten years. I hope to team up with Pitt Community College as well, and create relationships with other students/organizations in our community to help promote the importance of the Census.
There are so many things to look forward to this school year through our department, and SPAN makes it possible for the students to be involved as much as possible. I am so excited to continue to watch this program grow and flourish the way it has been the last few years. I believe we are capable of growing this program and organization exponentially by word of mouth, and making our presence on campus known. Though it may be challenging, I believe our members and amazing faculty, are capable of doing this.
Be on the lookout for an email from me regarding our kick-off event soon! I look forward to seeing everyone in August. If anyone would like to get a hold of me before (or after) then, I can be reached at: willisa16@students.ecu.edu.
Thank you & GO PIRATES!!!
SPAN Officers
2018-2019 SPAN Actions
Other events
Field trip to Goldsboro, NC
Planning students went to Goldsboro, NC on a field trip on November 8th, 2018. Our host in Goldsboro was Julie Metz, Executive Director, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation. Director Metz gave a presentation on the revitalization of downtown Goldsboro through the Main Street Approach, which focuses on downtown revitalization as a strategy for community development and economic growth. Since 1984 and under Director Metz’s leadership, 650 buildings have been rehabilitated, more than 100 new businesses have opened in the 22 square downtown district, and a Center Street Streetscape implemented.
Participating students had a fantastic experience. The trip was a wonderful opportunity to see planning in action and interact with a local community. Special Thanks to Director Julie Metz, an ECU planning alumni, for her warm welcome to student planners and for taking the time to give us a tour of Goldsboro.
2019 Research and creative activity week presentation
Planning Senior Studio class presentation
The annual Fall Planning Capstone Studio (led by Dr. Anuradha Mukherji) presentations were held on December 5, 2018, in Croatan Green Room on ECU Main Campus. Student group works included two park and recreation projects, one in Beaufort County near Belhaven and the other in the Town of Ayden. Both projects were in collaboration with the Mid-East Commission.
planning senior practicum project presentation
Planning senior students made their final practicum presentation on May 1, 2019. With the focuses on placemaking, greenways, commercial revitalization, flood resiliency, and urban forestry issues, eleven students conducted in-depth research. The practicum class in Spring 2019 was taught by one of our planner-in-residence, Ellen Hoj.
APA-NC Section 5 Workshop Participation
Planning students participated in APA-NC Section 5 Workshop that was held in Greenville, NC, on April 10, 2019. The morning session was about the ECU Master Plan Development, presented by Merrill Flood. The afternoon session involved site visits to the Greenville Town Common and the Town Creek Culvert Stormwater Project. More than half of planning major students attended the workshop and interacted with professional planners who work in eastern North Carolina.
SPRING Banquet
The 2019 SPAN Spring Banquet was held on Friday, March 29, 2019, 5-8 PM at ECU Main Student Center. Thanks to generous donations from alumni, we raised $1,300 to host the banquet. A total of fifty-four people attended the banquet, including the former THCAS dean, Dr. William Downs. Ms. Julie Metz, Director of the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, who graduated from the ECU Planning Program in 1991, was the banquet keynote speaker.