B.S. Urban and Regional Studies 2009
The Department of City and Regional Planning is the perfect fit for me. First of all, with only about 115 undergrads out of more than 13,500 total for the University, it makes Cornell feel much smaller. Even in your first year, you will develop a sense of community between you, your peers, and your instructors.
Your professors and TAs will challenge you to open your eyes to the major issues facing cities and regions, especially the interconnectedness of poverty, racism, environmental justice, service provision, transportation, housing, grassroots politics, and disasters. Through critical reading and writing, you will explore theories and case studies highlighting planning at its best and worst. If nothing else, you will be expected to learn that there is no answer, only more questions. You also will learn to see a city as a process rather than a thing.
Keeping this in mind, an in depth understanding of planning principles and the problems we are challenged to solve will allow us to work together in the future to find solutions.
