Strategic Plan
Advisory Board
Robert Ansley, FAICP
President
Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corp.
Owen Beitsch, Ph.D., FAICP, CRE
Senior Principal
Real Estate Research Consultants Inc./GAI Consultants
Bill Burns, Ph.D., PE, AICP
Consultant
City of Orlando
Jacques Coulon, AICP
Planner II
City of Orlando
Michael Delk, AICP
Planning Director
City of Clearwater
Tina Demostene, AICP
Planning and Development Services Manager
City of Altamonte Springs
Dean J. Grandin, Jr., Ph.D.
Retired
City of Orlando
Emily Hanna, AICP, CPM
Development Services Manager
City of Casselberry
James Hartsfield
Planner
Osceola County
Gary Huttmann, AICP
Executive Director
Metroplan Orlando
Jason McGlashan, PE
Transportation Planning Director
HDR Engineering
Curtis Ostrodka, AICP
LEED AP
Director of Community Planning, VHB
Patrick Panza, AICP
Program Director
Bike/Walk Central Florida
Jim Sellen
Executive VP
Miller, Sellen, Conner & Walsh
Erin Sterk
Planning Coordinator
City of Altamonte Springs
Strategic Plan
Mission
The Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning ("MSURP") program provides superior graduate education to current and prospective planning professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Administered with key social, environmental, and technological landscapes in mind, the program addresses the local to global needs for professional planners, preparing them to become leaders regionally and internationally. This requires employing critical and analytical thinking to devise and implement real-world solutions to the planning issues of today and beyond. Utilizing experiential learning, facilitated by Central Florida's uniquely diverse and inclusive planning environment, the curriculum focuses on an interdisciplinary approach providing students an integrative and comprehensive perspective on planning and management to promote more diverse, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive environments locally, nationally, and globally.
Vision
The Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning program is the preferred program of choice in the state of Florida, providing the highest quality, diverse, integrative, applied graduate education to prepare more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable communities for careers in urban and regional planning. As a national model of community partnership and service, the program is to develop well-balanced graduates who will be prepared to address challenging planning issues in a socially just and equitable manner, all within evolving metropolitan and natural environments.
Values
In a spirit of collegiality and collaboration, the MSURP program fosters partnerships with our local community, other college and university departments, and the academic and professional community at large. The program promotes leadership through adherence to the highest standards of ethical conduct. The MSURP program values diversity and multiculturalism with an active outreach and recruitment effort.
Strategic Plan Goals 2022-2027
Goal 1: Increase the recognition and outreach of the program.
Goal 2: Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into program.
Goal 3: Enhance faculty and student diversity through recruitment and retention.
Goal 4: Strengthen the curriculum to train students as future leaders.
Goal 5: Improve student recruitment and retention.
Goal 6: Enhance the curriculum.
Goal 7: Increase financial support.
Goal 8: Enhance program soft infrastructure.
Projects
Also referred to as the M.S.URP Studio, the capstone course provides students with the opportunity to partner with local counties and cities to develop applied planning projects based on the knowledge and skills developed in the program. At the end of the semester, students present their final reports to representatives of the partnering organization.
Capstone students were invited to participate in a multi-faceted project to create a vision plan for a section of the Kirkman Road corridor, which is primarily situated within the City of Orlando. The purpose of the proposed vision plan was to identify opportunities and challenges that will face Orlando over the next 20 years in redeveloping the area as well as to engage area residents in civic life.
Attainable Housing Development Model
This report presented an attainable housing development model for the Central Florida area.
Social Determinants of Health: Age-Friendly Recreational Needs for Populations within Orange County
This report examined the recreational needs, specifically recreational facilities, for various populations within Orange County, Florida.
Assessing Development Impacts: Parramore ACE School Zone
This capstone project summarized the social and physical changes to Parramore, a community located in the heart of Orlando, and provided solutions to address safety issues within the area.
Fiske Boulevard Neighborhood Study
Students conducted an assessment of current conditions, summarized resident input during the planning process and outlined recommended improvements for community engagement for the Fiske Boulevard Neighborhood in Cocoa, Florida.