4 Week's Notice

Dear readers,

In exactly four weeks I start school again. Yes, after nearly ten years in professional practice, I'm heading back to school for a Master's degree, specifically the Master's in Urban Planning at City College's Urban Design Program, headed by Michael Sorkin and located in the great city of New York.

What brings this on, you ask? Well, going back to school for a Master's degree (I have a five-year Bachelor's degree from Kansas State) has always been on my mind, though in varying degrees since starting my first job. I've seen it as a way to pursue something more defined than undergrad, more personal, and reflecting some experience with practice and "how the world works." Now with marriage and the prospects that that brings, this might be the last chance I have to pursue this goal. But more importantly, the Urban Design Program's focus on sustainable and pedestrian-oriented planning is something I feel strongly about and feel is timely and important, for reasons that don't require too much explanation here.

Regardless, here's a quote that might help illustrate what I'm thinking, taken from Michael Hough's City Form and Natural Process, written in 1984 but still apt (if not even more) today:
As environment and energy issues assume a higher profile in the future, it will become increasingly necessary to broaden the horizons of urban design to meet new goals. Urban land as a whole will be required to assume environmental, productive, and social roles, as fundamental components of the urban design process...Many of the problems generated by the city and imposed on the larger natural environment will have to be resolved within it.
I'm mentioning this here to alert readers that August might be a slow month in these parts. I'll need to make multiple trips to New York to find an apartment, help my wife find a job, register for classes, and all that other good stuff that goes along with going back to school and uprooting one's life. I plan on keeping this page, my weekly page, and the archi-tourist going, though the frequency of posts on this page will be determined by my schedule and workload. Each one of these pages are a great outlet for me, my interests, and my wanderings about the world and the internet, and I don't plan on any of that lapsing anytime soon.

Sincerely,

John

Comments

  1. congratulations john! Good luck to you and K! mano man this is a huge year!

    ...i believe anita hill... !SY non-sequiter!

    excited for you guys - will keep look out for blogspots.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful, Congradulations. I have been following the weekly dose for a while now. It continues to be enriching to my knowledge of architecture.
    I wish you luck in your study and in NY...

    ReplyDelete
  3. very cool.

    i met michael sorkin in genoa a couple of years ago. he did a lecture for a thing i was invited to. A few other bigger nam starchitects were speaking too, but i think michael's lecture was the most interesting. a very unique approach to planning. pity it is seldom taken much beyond the theory stage.

    i imagine his school is as interesting, and as challenging. and you get to live in new york. great city.

    good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats, John. And good luck. We're glad that you're able to do this. And we're also glad you'll be 8 hours closer. We found out this weekend that the train to NYC has a stop within walking distance of our place. Pretty cool. I'm interested to see the webpage with a different vantage point.

    ReplyDelete
  5. congrats.... Good luck !

    ReplyDelete
  6. hey there, i discovered your site through .. hmmm ... i think it was through 'musing' ... not sure at this point.

    best of luck and i hope you enjoy your studies and your stay here in new york. lots of stuff going on here for sure ... some of it quite controversial, but it's always interesting ... case in point: frank gehry's atlantic yards project in the middle of a firestorm, as you may well be aware ... the whole downtown semi-debacle ... oh it's all quite stress inducing. but it's all fun to watch.

    but getting back to the original point i wanted to make ... great site !! i look forward to reading more as you commence your journey at city college !!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck with the degree. I've been thinking about a Master degree since I received by Bachelor of Architecture in 2000. I've kicked around a planning degree as well as a historic preservation degree.

    Anyway, I'm babbling. Good luck and update when you can. I really enjoy your websites.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thats right.......get the Mrs. to start working.........
    Good Luck to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats John! Since I discoverred your blog and other websites a year ago, I've always looked forward to checking them during my lunch hour and then using them as a gateway to other fantastic architectural resources. I can't wait to find out what new insights you'll glean from being in a new city and back at school!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good luck to you, and also to your better half. We will try to visit soon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow - that's exciting. Good for you. Will look forward to reading what's up from your new part of the world. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated for spam.