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Personal Statement Example Urban Planning 2

The document is a personal statement for an urban planning program. It summarizes the author's motivation to pursue a career in urban planning. The author grew up working class and was bothered by the sight of abandoned houses near their home, seeing it as wasted potential. The author believes their background experiencing the consequences of urban planning decisions first hand will provide an invaluable perspective in the field. The author's studies in urban planning fascinated them by the many interacting elements that shape urban environments and impact people's lives. Their goal is to work with impoverished urban communities by drawing on their experiences to improve infrastructure and quality of life in a way that takes cues from the affected people.

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Disha jain
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995 views1 page

Personal Statement Example Urban Planning 2

The document is a personal statement for an urban planning program. It summarizes the author's motivation to pursue a career in urban planning. The author grew up working class and was bothered by the sight of abandoned houses near their home, seeing it as wasted potential. The author believes their background experiencing the consequences of urban planning decisions first hand will provide an invaluable perspective in the field. The author's studies in urban planning fascinated them by the many interacting elements that shape urban environments and impact people's lives. Their goal is to work with impoverished urban communities by drawing on their experiences to improve infrastructure and quality of life in a way that takes cues from the affected people.

Uploaded by

Disha jain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Personal Statement for an Urban Planning Program

Every day on the bus home from work, we pass by a row of abandoned houses. Their
windows are boarded up, the paintwork on the front doors is faded and peeling, and the front
yards are overgrown with weeds. It always seems faintly tragic to me: a lonely, desolate
scene of wasted potential. I think of the people who must have lived in those houses once,
and the people who still could if the right approach were taken.

Growing up working class, urban decay becomes depressingly familiar. The sight of a row of
abandoned houses does not surprise me, but it continues to bother me. Since graduating from
high school, I have been determined to pursue a career in urban planning. While people of my
background experience the consequences of urban planning decisions first-hand, we are
underrepresented in the field itself.

Ironically, given my motivation, my economic background has made my studies challenging.


I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship for my undergraduate studies, but after
graduation I took jobs in unrelated fields to help support my parents. In the three years since,
I have not lost my ambition. Now I am keen to resume my studies, and I believe I can bring
an invaluable perspective to the table: that of the people most impacted by the decisions of
urban planners.

One thing that fascinated me about the field during my undergraduate studies was the sheer
number of different elements whose interactions constitute a person’s experience of an urban
environment. Any number of factors could transform the scene I described at the beginning:
What if there were no bus route? Better community outreach in the neighborhood? Worse law
enforcement? More or fewer jobs available in the area? Some of these factors are out of the
hands of an urban planner, but without taking them all into consideration, the planner has an
incomplete picture of their task.

Through further study I hope to develop my understanding of how these disparate elements
combine and interact to create the urban environment. I am interested in the social,
psychological and political effects our surroundings have on our lives. My studies will allow
me to work on projects directly affecting the kinds of working-class urban communities I
know well. I believe I can bring my own experiences, as well as my education, to bear upon
the problem of improving infrastructure and quality of life in these communities.

My ambition as an urban planner is to work with impoverished urban communities. I want to


draw on my own and others’ experience of these spaces rather than impose a prefabricated
plan from above. I believe that by taking cues from the people affected, urban planning can
more conscientiously shape the future of our cities. This master’s degree is my path toward
that goal.

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