Award Winning Student Work

The following are examples of student work that have been granted an award for their outstanding contribution to the theory or practice of planning.

2008

Portsmouth Redevelopment Opportunities - A Virginia Tech Urban Affairs and Planning Student Project - Awarded the 2008 Student Project Award by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association

Portsmouth Redevelopment Opportunities assesses the opportunities for residential redevelopment in Portsmouth, Virginia. As one of the older cities in Virginia, Portsmouth was largely “built-out” in the Sixties and Seventies, constraining the potential for larger scale redevelopment and new construction. Recent redevelopment efforts have been very successful, suggesting the potential for Portsmouth to gain a larger share of diverse segments of the housing market. To help the City address this potential, a UAP graduate studio class examined the constraints, challenges and opportunities in expanding the City’s competitive position for currently underrepresented market segments. The studio prepared a comprehensive analysis of residential redevelopment potential in Portsmouth that includes very advanced analysis of both the economic sectors in Portsmouth and of housing location choice within the metropolitan area. The report demonstrates an innovative approach for identifying geographic clusters for targeting future redevelopment. This portion of the analysis utilized local property records, field checking, and multi-criteria screening to create the redevelopment clusters.

To view the final report, click here (Note this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download).

2007

Farmshoring in Virginia - A Virginia Tech Urban Affairs and Planning Student Project - Awarded the 2007 Student Project Award by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association

From the VAPA award description:

Farmshoring in Virginia ... summarizes research conducted by the students on opportunities and challenges for domestic outsourcing within the state of Virginia. The study was conducted for several organizations including the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and eight jurisdictions.

The project examines urban and rural areas in the state and evaluates their potential to send and receive economic development and business activities. They make clear that the competition is not between jurisdictions or communities within the state of Virginia, but with competing locations outside of the state or even the country. It is about providing Virginia businesses with business efficiencies, while keeping their employment within the state.

The project defines the criteria for both the sending and receiving jurisdictions. It defines and analyses the industries and occupations at risk in urban areas in Northern Virginia. It defines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to rural communities receiving these occupations and industries vs. outsourcing them overseas.

This project demonstrates the need for links between urban and rural communities. Northern Virginia Jurisdictions need to understand the advantages to them in farmshoring. Rural communities need to address the quality of life issues in their communities to encourage farmshoring. The document ends with recommendations for the state, urban, and rural communities for retaining business and industry in Virginia.

Additional resources:

• VT NCR UAP website on Farmshoring, click here.
• To view the final report, click here (Note this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download).
  

2006

Through the Eyes of the Community - A Virginia Tech Urban Affairs and Planning Student Project - Awarded the 2006 Student Project Award by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association

From the VAPA award description:

Through the Eyes of the Community: A Guide to Collaborative Growth Visioning is the first comprehensive treatment of regional visioning models and applications developed by anyone. The guidebook is a product of a project undertaken by 12 students in Graduate Planning studio courses at the Virginia Tech, Alexandria Center during 2004 and 2005. It was prepared to help guide the Urban Land Institute’s “Reality Check on Metropolitan Washington,” a day-long 300-person vision exercise involving representatives from the development, environmental, civic, and public official communities. One of the most impressive aspects of the project was that the students themselves determined the form, function, and overall content of the guidebook. Working as “consultants” in a studio environment, they decided upon the scope, identified the appropriate audiences, and researched historical and recent examples of regional visioning. They synthesized their work into a comprehensive discussion complete with models, case studies, and advice.

The result is a step-by-step guidebook that enables regions big and small everywhere in the United States to design and implement their own regional visioning process. The guidebook also walks the reader through different, successful regional visioning experiences showing that not one-size-fits-all. What it does show, however, is that to assure success certain steps must be followed in crafting and administering the visioning exercise.

Through the Eyes of the Community: A Guide to Collaborative Growth Visioning is so pioneering that the American Planning Association has contracted to publish it through its Planning Advisory Service. It is the first studio project ever to be published as a book by the APA. It will reach thousands of practicing planners during the next year.

Additional resources: To view the final draft report, click here (Note this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download).

2005

East Falls Church Metro Area Plan - A Virginia Tech Urban Affairs and Planning Student Project - Awarded the 2005 Student Project Award by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association

From the introductory letter to John Wilson, President of the Arlington/East Falls Church Civic by Arthur C. Nelson, Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning:

We undertook the East Falls Church Metro Area Plan with an objective of repairing the damage to the social fabric caused by the construction of Interstate 66 through the community. This work was guided and informed through a community charrette held with the Arlington/East Falls Church Civic Association.

The location of the East Falls Church Metrorail station creates the market force that should be channeled carefully in this effort. It produces the market strength that allows the station area to serve as an existing mixed use center of the community. This will require altering the nature of the East Falls Church Metrorail station from a substation commuter center one to a true activity center. We envision a modern version of the East Falls Church trolley center.

The East Falls Church Metro Area Plan principally is an urban design project. In addition, the plan contains two special studies addressing affordable housing and neighborhood-based retail development. The affordable housing section is in the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian house as a means of providing affordable housing for people of moderate means. The retail analysis was done to provide a preliminary analysis of the area's market strength to support the amount of new businesses suggested in the Plan.

To view the final plan, click here (Note this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download).

2004

Braddock Road Metro Station Plan - A Virginia Tech Urban Affairs and Planning Student Project - Awarded the 2004 Student Project Award by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association

From the VAPA award description:

The Braddock Road Area Plan focuses on the Braddock Road Metro-Rail Station area in Alexandria, Virginia. The boundaries used represent the pedestrian “shed”, about a 15-minute walk from the Metro-Rail Station or a circle with a radius of 2,400 feet with its center at the station. The study area’s boundaries are approximately at Washington Street t to the east, Commonwealth Avenue to the west, the Route 1 overpass to the north and Cameron Street to the south.

The Plan’s goals are to establish a vital and pedestrian-oriented Transit Oriented Development (TOD) around the Braddock Road Metro-Rail Station, foster community, and protect the valuable local social and economic diversity. In many ways, the Braddock Road Area is a microcosm of the planning, design, development, and community development issues facing Alexandria and Northern Virginia more generally, including: TOD related to Metro-Rail stations; Fostering community in a rapidly growing and changing city; Maintaining social and economic diversity in an increasingly higher-income community (affordable housing and varied employment opportunities); Creating a sense of place in the context of the fast pace of change in the physical environment; Protecting neighborhood livability and promoting a walk-able and bike-able environment (neighborhood-serving retail and personal and business services, land use, streetscapes, and pedestrian improvements).

The Braddock Road Area Plan addresses the TOD Center, Housing, Economic Development and Transportation/Mobility issues. Conditions in the area were reviewed to provide the underpinnings of its recommendations. The Plan contains over 50 concepts for new structures, street and pedestrian alignments, streetscape design, parks and other civic spaces, and additional programs.

The Braddock Road Area has been subject to a great deal of change since the opening of the Metro-Rail Station. The area appears to be poised to experience even more. The Plan is intended to assist the City of Alexandria in shaping the future of the area in the context of the anticipated change.

To view the final plan, click here (Note this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download).

2002

An ArcView tool for simulating Land Subdivision for Build Out Analysis - A Virginia Tech Urban Affairs and Planning Student Project by Ashwini Wakchaure - Awarded the 2002 Student Project Award by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association

From the Thesis' abstract:

The objective of this paper is to develop a tool in ArcView for simulating the land subdivision process in order to simplify the process of build out analysis. Build out analysis is a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of land regulations and performing impact analysis of development on the environment and other natural resources. The process involved in carrying out build out analysis involves dealing with various layers of spatial information, maps and tabular data. Geographical information systems (GIS) are very effective in handling spatial and tabular data. Analysis of various layers of information at the city level can be done simultaneously using GIS. However, GIS does not possess necessary tools to model future development on buildable land. Hence modeling of development is done using AutoCAD or similar drafting software. In addition, the modeling of development has to be done at a single parcel level, as parcel characteristics like size, shape, terrain, land use and zone greatly influence the probable pattern of subdivision of land parcel. This paper looks at the process of developing a subdivision layout in AutoCAD at a single parcel level. Based on the understanding of this process, a tool has been developed in ArcView, which enables a user to draw different arrangements of lots in gridiron pattern of development. This tool has been developed using Avenue. The layout developed using ArcView program is not as precise as the AutoCAD generated layout, however it is sufficient to simulate a probable subdivision layout pattern for a land parcel in less time.

To view the thesis, click here (Note this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download).