[URBANTH-L] Summer Fellowship: Community Planning and Design on the US Gulf Coast

[Angela Jancius]

Summer Fellowship: Community Planning and Design on the US Gulf Coast

Area of Focus: Community Building and Renewal
Skill(s): public relations, public speaking, writing
End date: August 1, 2008
Start date: May 30, 2008
Last day to apply: May 30, 2008

Sponsors:
Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) and
Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC)
(Funding provided by a grant from the Ford Foundation)

Location: Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, Biloxi, MS
(With some travel required in the Gulf Coast region of MS, LA, AL)

Dates: Summer 2008 - (approximately 10 weeks)

Stipend: $5000


Description:  GCCDS and ISC are seeking highly motivated applicants for a 
summer fellowship to be based on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The fellow will 
conduct research and complete a report on community-based planning and 
design in small to medium sized Gulf Coast cities affected by Hurricane 
Katrina. The research will contribute significantly to a Gulf Coast 
community needs assessment and project planning effort currently underway, 
with the ultimate goal of strengthening community engagement, planning, and 
design in the region.

Fellow will:

. Work with sponsors to organize and consult with a small project advisory 
committee to design a research study;
. Compile information and materials, conduct in-person and telephone 
interviews and other research as needed to prepare written report that 
includes case studies, research summary and analysis, and recommendations;
. Organize focus/group roundtable discussion to review and finalize research 
recommendations.

Research goal: Develop an in-depth understanding of pre and post-Katrina 
community-planning and design capabilities and approaches in small to medium 
sized Gulf Coast communities. Types of questions that sponsors are seeking 
to answer are as follows:
. How did target communities handle planning and design pre-Katrina (i.e., 
what staffing/structures/processes were in place to deal with land use 
planning, community design and growth/development?)
. How did Katrina impact communities' understanding of importance of local 
planning and design?
. What resources have been available to communities since Katrina to meet 
planning and design needs related to rebuilding and redevelopment? Are these 
resources adequate? What else is needed?
. How have citizens been involved in planning processes? How effective where 
these efforts and what role did stakeholder organizations (i.e., 
non-profits, churches, community organizations, businesses, etc.) play?
. To what extent (and how effectively) are communities incorporating 
sustainability practices (environmental sustainability, smart growth, green 
building, etc.) into their post-Katrina planning and design?
. What role can funders, policymakers, and national and local agencies 
(government and non-governmental) play in strengthening awareness and 
practice of community planning and design?

Several case studies will be compiled by fellow to illustrate community 
planning and design challenges and solutions.


Qualifications: Graduate student or recent graduate with Master's Degree in 
urban planning/community design with:
. Outstanding interpersonal and research skills
. Ability to work independently
. Experience working in diverse communities.
. Excellent research, writing and communications skills
. Desire to make a significant contribution to the long-term redevelopment 
of the US Gulf Coast.

About the sponsoring organizations:  Institute for Sustainable Communities 
(www.iscvt.org)
The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) is an independent nonprofit 
that helps people get the tools, resources, and skills they need to make 
their communities better places to live. Headquartered in Montpelier, VT, 
ISC also has offices in Washington, DC, China, Serbia, Ukraine and 
Macedonia. Since our founding in 1991 by former Vermont Governor Madeleine 
M. Kunin, we have led projects in 18 countries. ISC brings well-tested 
practices and a network of technical expertise in the areas of civic 
engagement, advocacy, institutional capacity building, and sustainable 
community development. ISC's Gulf Coast Renewal Project was launched shortly 
after Hurricane Katrina. We have been working with the city of Moss Point, 
MS on a multi-sector project focused on long-term redevelopment. We are also 
helping several community-based organizations on the Coast more effectively 
access and manage resources and contribute to the recovery process. We are 
currently planning the next phase of our Gulf Coast project and working with 
a variety of partners to more broadly address issues of community capacity, 
planning, design and environmental sustainability

Gulf Coast Community Design Studio www.gccds.org
The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) is a professional outreach 
program of Mississippi State University's College of Architecture, Art, + 
Design. The GCCDS was established following Hurricane Katrina to provide 
architectural design services, planning assistance, and leadership to 
communities and organizations that are working to rebuild and revitalize 
low-income neighborhoods along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The mission of 
the GCCDS is threefold: 1) to work with non-profit and municipal partners to 
increase the community's ability to address housing and neighborhood 
development needs by providing design and planning expertise; 2) to provide 
leadership both locally and nationally on sustainable, well-designed, 
community-based redevelopment projects; 3) to educate students and train 
interns to work in community design.

To apply: Submit cover letter, resume, 3-5 page writing sample and 
references by email to:
Christine Gaspar, Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, 
cgaspar at gccds.msstate.edu