URP Student Internships
Summer 2024
August 16, 2024
In the summer of 2024, our Master of Urban and Regional Planning students took on a variety of internships, applying their skills and knowledge from their MURP curriculum to real-world practice. Spread across local and international locations, these students worked to improve the communities they served. The URP Department is proud to highlight the meaningful contributions and diverse experiences our students gained during these internships.
Christopher Atkinson
Yolo County Transportation District
Christopher Atkinson is a second-year student interning as a Transportation Planning Intern with the Yolo County Transportation District (Yolo TD) in Woodland, CA. Christopher works closely with an Assistant Transportation Planner on various projects, including the Yolo Active Transportation Corridors (YATC) project, which aims to add active transportation infrastructure such as biking, walking, and skateboarding paths in Yolo County. For this project, Christopher assists with outreach for workshops and open houses to inform the community and gather feedback on desired infrastructure improvements. Major goals of the YATC project include linking unincorporated communities with bike paths and upgrading biking and walking infrastructure. Additionally, Christopher works on the Yolo Commute project, a local transportation management association promoting alternative modes of transportation to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) through membership-based incentives and programs.
Xavier Balerdi
CHW, an NV5 Company
Xavier Balerdi is a first-year student currently working as a Planner Intern at CHW, an NV5 Company, located in Alachua, Florida. Xavier is enjoying the exposure to various aspects of planning-related work, finding that every day brings new learning opportunities. During this internship, Xavier has worked on due diligence reports, created GIS maps, and assisted in drafting technical reports. They have had a great time collaborating with the planning team and are excited about the practical experience they are gaining in the field.
Jacqueline Berger
Atzl, Nasher & Zigler
Jacqueline Berger is a third-year student working full-time as a Junior Planner at Atzl, Nasher & Zigler (ANZ) in Rockland County, NY. ANZ is a firm that provides surveying, engineering, and site planning services. Jacqueline was hired as an intern Planner in January 2020 and transitioned to a Junior Planner a few months later. Their daily work assignments include preparing and submitting land use applications, completing environmental assessment forms, attending public meetings, visiting sites for data collection, completing permits and zoning board applications, and assisting with other written reports and analyses as needed. Jacqueline appreciates working at ANZ because it is a small company in their hometown, and they find it interesting to learn about local projects in familiar neighborhoods.
Laura Botero
Kimley-Horn
Laura Botero is a second-year student interning as a Production Intern with Kimley-Horn in Plantation. They love the wide range of projects and teams they’ve been involved with, from bike-pedestrian master plans to countywide transit master plans and creating a GIS Zoning/Future Land Use map. Laura is working on the Rickenbacker Causeway Master Plan project, which aims to address bicycle and pedestrian fatalities on one of the busiest roads and cycling paths in Miami. They’re involved in writing project reports for transportation planning and engineering recommendations and detailing the existing conditions of the road. Laura finds it fulfilling to contribute to building a safer city in line with Vision Zero. Despite existing green bike lanes and buffers, several casualties have occurred, highlighting the need for consistent improvements. Additionally, Laura is working on a Bike-Pedestrian Master Plan for FDOT’s District 4, which spans five counties, and enjoys understanding the intergovernmental coordination required to develop a larger bike-pedestrian system across several counties.
Pat Crane
Deloitte
Pat Crane is a third-year student working as a Senior Consultant with Deloitte, working remotely from Boston. Pat supports the growth of Deloitte in the planning space by responding to client requests for proposals and aligning the firm’s capabilities with client needs. Pat enjoys applying skills and knowledge from the UF MURP program, thinking like a planner, and meeting and working with other planners at the firm. This internship has helped Pat sharpen his toolset as both a planner and a consultant.
Andrea Dopico
MHCP COLAB
Andrea Dopico is a second-year student currently working as a Junior Planner at MHCP COLAB in Miami, FL. MHCP COLAB is a private firm that was selected as a sub-consultant for the Thriving Communities Program by the US Department of Transportation. In this role, Andrea is involved in providing various analyses, including zoning, equitable transit-oriented development, and affordable housing, to develop transit typologies in key corridors and intersections in Broward County. Andrea finds this project exciting because it has the potential to make a significant impact on transportation in the area. This experience has provided valuable experience in private sector planning and transportation planning. Andrea is looking forward to continuing this work and attending the October stakeholders meeting, where representatives from USDOT will be present.
Ashley Eachus
1000 Friends of Florida
Ashley Eachus is a second-year student interning remotely with 1000 Friends of Florida. Ashley’s work involves helping their supervisor coordinate listening sessions and workshops in rural northeast counties in Florida. The aim of this project is to create tailored policy recommendations for counties to steer development in a sustainable direction. Ashley’s role in this project is mainly research-based, along with some content production.
Milo Freese
Pittsburgh City Planning
Milo Freese is a second-year student interning as a City Planning Intern with Pittsburgh City Planning in Pittsburgh, PA. Milo’s internship involves working with the Neighborhood Planning department to conduct research on trends in affordable housing, inclusionary zoning practices, and transit-oriented development. They have enjoyed collaborating with Neighborhood and Strategic Planners in conducting research, gathering data, and completing data analysis to promote informed decision-making for housing policies that will affect Pittsburgh residents. Pittsburgh City Planning aims to reduce barriers to promoting affordable housing production and preservation, and Milo looks forward to tracking the outcomes and impacts of upcoming housing developments within the city.
Michael Granto
United States Air Force Premier College Intern Program
Michael Granto is a second-year student currently interning as a Community Planner under the United States Air Force Premier College Intern Program in Minot, ND. Actively involved in military base planning during a period of significant change due to a new federal program, Michael contributed to the base’s comprehensive plan, known as the Installation Development Plan, and participated in a design charrette for the new Security Forces Complex. The internship also included a trip to Ohio for a symposium, where Michael met peers in the field and received one-on-one mentoring. A standout moment of the experience was witnessing the Aurora Borealis.
Tian Gao
Sarasota County Breeze Transit
Tian Gao is a Transit Planning Intern at Sarasota County Breeze Transit, where they play a key role in enhancing public transportation services. Tian is currently focused on the validation and modification of the Public Transport Propensity Index, a critical tool used to optimize the zoning of special public transportation services like OnDemand. By analyzing two years of operational data and conducting regression analysis, Tian is working to ensure that this index more accurately reflects actual travel density, incorporating additional factors such as land use to better serve the community. In addition, Tian is leading a Bus Stop Improvement Plan for Sarasota County, aiming to prioritize the installation of benches and shelters at over 1,000 bus stops. Instead of relying solely on daily boardings, Tian’s approach considers additional criteria, such as proximity to key locations and the needs of disadvantaged groups, contributing to a more accessible public transportation system.
Erik Kramer
Cotleur & Hearing
Erik Kramer is a second-year student interning as a Planning Technician with Cotleur & Hearing in Jupiter, FL. Cotleur & Hearing is a private firm providing planning and landscape architecture services throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. Erik works closely with the firm’s project managers and clients to bring various residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects to reality. Their core tasks include compiling applications, researching comprehensive plans and land development regulations, and performing technical planning tasks, such as ensuring public notice letters are distributed.
Patrice Marcuson-Minogue
CHW, an NV5 Company
Patrice Marcuson-Minogue is a second-year student interning as an Urban Planner Student Intern with the Urban Planning Team at CHW, an NV5 Company, in Gainesville, FL. Patrice is currently working on a vulnerability assessment for Bradford County, which is the neighboring county to the north. Collaborating with classmate Xavier Balerdi, Patrice is creating GIS maps using data from FGDL, the Department of Environmental Protection, and ArcGIS Pro to understand the assets present in Bradford County. These maps show the locations of historical structures, onsite wells, emergency facilities, and more. The collected data will be used to determine which parts of Bradford County are most vulnerable to natural disasters. Besides this project, Patrice has attended Planning Board meetings for other CHW projects, worked on Due Diligence reports, and created presentations for neighborhood workshop meetings. Patrice enjoys working with GIS, finding it fun to create GIS maps and clean up data. Additionally, Patrice has had the opportunity to talk to surveyors, engineers, traffic specialists, landscape architects, and other planners about their roles in the planning process. This experience at CHW has highlighted the importance of the pre-construction phase, from conceptualization to design to city/county approval.
Iwany Martinez
CWC Community Weatherization Coalition
Iwany Martinez is a second-year planning student enrolled in the on-campus Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program, actively collaborating with the CWC Community Weatherization Coalition in Gainesville, Florida. This coalition focuses on promoting energy efficiency initiatives aimed at alleviating the utility burden for low-income families. In addition to contributing to the coalition’s efforts, Iwany has authored a research report titled “Public Health Benefits of Weatherization and Energy Efficient Housing for More Sustainable Communities.” This report gathers essential data and advocates for the implementation of new, energy-efficient, and affordable housing solutions, presenting the findings through detailed graphs and charts. Through this role, Iwany gains insights into and advocates for the preservation of historical low-income neighborhoods. These efforts are integral to potentially enhancing the economic development of urban core areas, aligning with broader community goals.
Matthew Mullings
Miami-Dade County DOT & Public Works
Matthew Mullings is a first-year student interning as a Multimodal Planning Intern with the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works, Transportation Planning and Policy Division, in Miami, FL. Matthew is currently assisting on multiple projects, with a primary focus on developing a freight plan for Miami-Dade County. Matthew has been gathering data on all railroad-street intersections under the county’s jurisdiction, including information such as train frequency, intersection safety ratings, and the condition of the crossings. With this data, Matthew is helping to create a central hub where the information can be accessed in its original form and as interactive maps. Matthew enjoys working on train-adjacent projects, having always had an interest in trains and believing they are an underutilized piece of infrastructure. They are also pleased to be contributing to the expansion of non-car-centric infrastructure in Miami-Dade County.
Renz Torres
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Renz Torres is a second-year student interning as a Heir Property Intern with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Jacksonville, working remotely with their office in Jacksonville. In this internship, Renz examines issues related to heirs’ property in Jacksonville, Florida. Heirs’ properties are those whose owner died intestate, resulting in a clouded title and an inability to access the wealth tied up in the property. This issue disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous homeowners. Renz is working on methods to detect heir properties, analyze their causes and results, and create solutions to fix these causes. Renz enjoys the internship as it flexes his data analysis skills, relies heavily on presentation work similar to URP studio, and offers the potential for people to actually use the solutions they create.
Jiaxu Zhang
Heibei Province Urban-Rural Planning and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Jiaxu Zhang is a first-year student interning as a Designer Assistant with the Heibei Province Urban-Rural Planning and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd. Jiaxu’s work focuses on heritage assessment in heritage protection planning, which includes evaluating famous historical and cultural cities in China and excavating heritage corridors in Hebei Province.