In-Service Training Courses in
Neighborhood Planning
Americorps / Community Impact,
Columbia University
In a collaborative effort with Community Impact of Columbia University, UTAP has trained Americorps student volunteers in basic planning techniques and has identified opportunities for volunteers to work in the Harlem community. In the Spring 1996, UTAP organized and conducted an urban planning training series to provide Americorps volunteers working in Central Harlem the skills and tools to undertake comprehensive neighborhood assessments of specific project areas. To complete the neighborhood studies, students were introduced to the basic tools and techniques of the urban planning profession, including: problem and area definition, demographic data gathering and analysis, land use and physical planning regulations, survey and analyses of social and economic factors, mapping and graphic presentation, report writing and public presentation. In addition to learning about "the basics" the volunteers were also given the opportunity to learn about the planning process in the New York City region and to enhance the mechanisms used by grass-roots initiatives to influence local planning. Six intensive training sessions were held at the Urban Planning Program's studio work space and computer/GIS lab. The organization of the workshop afforded students the experience of conducting field surveys, working in groups, and learning about comprehensive problem identification. In the Summer of 1997, UTAP arranged additional support to Harlem-based community organizations by making available assignments that engaged Community Impact Americorps volunteers in local planning efforts. With the Community Vision Project of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, volunteers conducted a resident opinion survey of neighborhood conditions and local service provision in Central Harlem. In Washington Heights, volunteers interviewed merchants in the Southern Heights for the Community League of West 159th Street to support their Business Improvement District initiative. |