Student Grants
Congratulations to Sunghea Khil and Caitlyn Beasley! In recognition of their outstanding research proposals, the APA International Division has awarded them with grants to support travel and research (for study November 2021 – August 2022).
Sunghea Khil
Planning for Sustainable Urban Infrastructure in Uganda: Revenue Solutions for Municipal Services
Poor management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the key problems in developing cities. Over 90% of waste in Africa is disposed of at uncontrolled dumpsites and landfills. Similarly, the city of Kampala, Uganda is also experiencing a need for adequate solid waste management, as well as developing a landfill site that can accommodate greater needs of MSW. This project addresses questions such as how are other urban infrastructure projects in Kamapla and developing countries financed through public-private partnerships? (e.g., how are road, water, electricity costs are currently collected in Kampala?) and considering the potential impact of the surrounding communities, what type of land and planning policies should be examined in the process of developing sustainable infrastructure, specifically for the Ddundu site? This project will use literature reviews, expert interviews, and financial analysis to draw conclusions about the strategies and implications of successful MSW management in a developing country context.
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Sunghea Khil is in her final year of a joint Master in Urban Planning/Master in Public Policy degree at Harvard. She holds a degree in Policy, Planning and Development with an emphasis in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California. She was born in South Korea and raised in Seoul, Iowa, and California. Her academic and career interests include urban and transportation planning as well as international affairs. She enjoys traveling to explore different cities and her passion is to improve quality of lives for people and their communities through transportation planning and policy.
Caitlyn Beasley
Developing a Sustainable Master Plan in Puerto Cayo, Ecuador
The co-founder of Oceanside Farms, Sean Kelly has contacted Florida State University in hopes to develop Puerto Cayo, Ecuador. In a practicum-style project, a team of urban and regional planning students has been assembled to complete a community needs assessment that can lay the foundation for a future cohort to complete a studio project. Each of three team members has a specialized focus: economic development, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure/design. The team will write a memorandum that documents a detailed community assessment based on interviews and research, develop accurate existing conditions maps, and identify best development practices from similar communities. This project aims to create an assessment of the community in Puerto Cayo and hopes to assist the University in further development of a comprehensive plan.
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Caitlyn Beasley is a graduate student at Florida State University, pursuing a Master of Science in Planning and specializing in economic development. She has an interest in international development, with a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs. Her career goal is to work for the World Bank or for a firm that allows her to travel.
Previous Grantees
2019/2020
Alican Yildiz
Ph.D. Candidate in College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
University of
Cincinnati
Beyond the Informality: Latin American Perspectives
Michael Keller Coulom
Master of City and Regional Planning
University of California, Berkeley
Which Way Forward? Charting the Future of the Planning Industry in Post-Conflict Syria
2018/2019
Lynn Abdouni
PhD
Environmental Design and Planning
The University of Georgia
Victoria Okoye
Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture
School of Architecture, University
of Sheffield
Kira Baltutis
Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy
The University of Illinois at Chicago
2017-2018
Amanda Bryant
MSc in Urbanism
Delft University of Technology
Evan Todtz
Master of Science in Urban Design, Master of Science in Community & Regional Planning
UT School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin
Sophonie Milande Joseph
Ph.D. Candidate in Urban Planning
Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning
(GSAPP), Columbia
University
Energy Justice: A Comparative Case Study of DecentralizedEnergy PlanningModels in Rural Ayiti