High-School Planners

Recently, as part of the Urban Land Institute’s PlanIt program, I went, virtually, into St. Paul Central and Roseville High Schools to bring the world of planning and development to students. Students created a neighborhood redevelopment – housing, parks, offices, retail. Volunteers (Twin Cities planners and developers) asked questions, probed student’s choices, and prepped them for a final presentation (virtual) of their plan before a city council (pretend). It’s an exercise the ULI has been doing for years now but around tables, with blocks and maps, students and volunteers moving, talking, discussing and working together. In our new normal students used site design and financial software to create their plans. And Zoom brought us together.

Today, students created an intersection anchored by historic properties, argued for a skate park next to a homeless shelter, created affordable housing units close to retail and office jobs, and built townhomes for families close to open space and jobs. They responded to neighbors who didn’t want change and they met city revenue goals and developer profit requirements. They described their development choices using places they know and like.

I like noticing how people think through challenges and address competing interests. The push and pull of public decision-making is at the core of all planning and development work. These high school students know how to do this. They could explain choices that they knew would anger some with confidence and attention to the vision driving the project. Imagining different points of view and how to make trade-offs seems to come naturally. Let’s hope some of them become the future planners and developers of the Twin Cities!

-Julia