April 2023 – At the recent 2023 National Planning Conference (#NPC23) held in Philadelphia, our University of South Florida (USF) Fellow Beneetta Mary Jose was honored to lead a team of USF Master of Urban & Regional Planning (#USFMURP) students selected as finalists in the National Student design competition. Only the top three teams were invited to present their project proposals at NPC23 from competitive teams from universities across the U.S.
The American Planning Association (APA) challenged the planning students to create planning and design recommendations as part of a proposed visioning plan for the Logan Triangle area located in Philadelphia’s Upper North District. This year’s APA theme was Health, Equity and Housing; so, all proposals were required to clearly incorporate policy solutions based on the theme.
Team USF Bulls proposed a B-HIVE for the Logan Community– A balanced, Healthy, Inclusive, Vibrant and Empowered Community in Logan Triangle. The recommendations centered around a well-balanced, healthy, energetic, and dynamic environment with a mix of residential, commercial, and recreational uses that fit with the surrounding context and restoring the grandeur of Logan Triangle that formerly attracted people. They created a community that would inspire people and improve their daily lives.
“I am extremely proud that I could represent USF alongside my teammates on this national platform. Our professors played an exceptional role in guiding us throughout the entire journey, but also I was fortunate enough to get mentoring from the Plan Hillsborough staff, especially Dr Johnny Wong, Allison Yeh, Roger Mathie, Vishaka Shiva Raman, and Katrina Corcoran.”
Congratulations to our Fellow Beneetta and her fellow USF MURP teammates! We are so proud of your work and this tremendous achievement. Your future in planning is bright… Go Bulls!
