Events & Resources
News for Urban Affairs and City Planning
MET Professor Enrique Silva Oversees the Mirebalais Planning Initiative in Haiti
Metropolitan College Assistant Professor of Urban Affairs and City Planning Enrique Silva is lead principal investigator on the Mirebalais Planning Initiative (MPI), a project resulting from a partnership between Boston University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the University of the West Indies. The $150,000 project is partially funded by a $75,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation.
Intended to expand community leadership in Mirebalais, Haiti, in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the goal of the MPI is to galvanize local community associations, residents, and municipal authorities around planning, economic and human development projects. Projects focusing on concrete priorities such as solid waste management and the impact of the Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante Mirebalais Teaching Hospital will demonstrate the possibility of municipal-led planning and innovation in Haiti—and provide the groundwork for continued municipal leadership in the development of the infrastructure and resources of post-quake Haiti.
Silva will be coordinating the partner institutions, and overseeing a series of community workshops intended to expand local institutional capacity and encourage the engagement of citizens in planning and community decision-making. The first workshop will focus on solid waste management and water. The MPI and its workshops will benefit from the participation of BU faculty who can contribute valuable subject matter expertise.
Silva was the first faculty member to receive a fellowship from MET’s Patricia W. Chadwick (MET’75) Fund for Professional Development, for his proposal “Connecting the Dots: Haiti and the Multiple Sites of Planning Research and Pedagogy.” Silva used the award to pursue the financial resources necessary for longer-term engagement in Haiti, securing the funding from the Kellogg Foundation for the MPI collaboration.
Real Estate Studies at BU
The MCP program has entered into an agreement with the BU Center for Professional Education (CPE) to deepen the programs' course offerings and expertise in real estate development and finance.
Starting in Fall 2011, MCP students may enroll in the Commercial Real Estate or the Real Estate Finance certificate programs (8 course programs). MCP students who successfully complete either one of the certificate programs may apply the courses toward their degree requirements (the equivalent of 3 graduate level elective courses). This option is not currently available for MUA students.
For details on the agreement, student eligibility and course waiver, contact Enrique R. Silva.
Preservation Studies at BU
As of Fall 2011, BU MCP and MUA students will have access to select Historic Preservation Studies courses as standard City Planning and Urban Affairs electives. In partnership with the BU Preservations Studies Program (http://www.bu.edu/amnesp/ma/), key preservations studies courses will be listed as MET UA courses under the Fall and Spring MCP and MUA course schedule. Those preservations studies courses listed as MET UA can be treated as any other UA elective course for our degree students. For details or questions, contact Enrique Silva at ersilva@bu.edu.
A Look Back at Haiti
As the year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti approaches, we take a look back on the journey Enrique Silva and other MET community members made to Haiti to discuss rebuilding and recover efforts with government officials.
Bicycles and the MBTA
In an effort to make public transportation more accessible, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is striving to accommodate Boston cyclists.
MBTA Project Director Erik Scheier said the MBTA is adding bike-parking stations for cyclists in 95 percent of commuter rail stations and equipping 70 percent of busses with bike racks. Click here for more details
BU MCP/MUA Internship & Employment Information
BU MCP/MUA working with Haiti
for details, click on the following links:
BU Today: "Students Help Produce Maps of Devastated Areas for Relief and Rebuilding"
BU Today: "Haiti Leaders, BU Team Share Long-Term Goals"
WBUR: "BU Team In Haiti Works To Transform As They Rebuild"
BU Today: "Ground Up, Rethinking Haiti"
Pardee Center: "Experts Discuss Future Challenges in Dealing with Disasters"
Boston Globe: "Fatal Magnetism of the City"
