Gateway: Planning Action introduces incoming students in the Master in City Planning (MCP) program to the theory and history of planning in the public interest.  The course provides an introduction to the major ideas and debates that define what the field of planning considers “planning theory” as well as a condensed global history of modern planning. 

We combined background readings on the development and practice of planning with challenging real-world cases to highlight several aspects of planning: the persistent dilemmas planners face, the power and limits of planning practice, the roles in which planners find themselves in communities around the globe, the multiple disciplines that define planning and inform the work of planners, and the political, ethical, and practical challenges that planners face as they try to be effective.

I first served as a Teaching Assistant and then as Head Teaching Assistant managing course logistics and four other TAs. We were responsible for facilitating a weekly recitation section with 12-15 students about the key issues in each week’s topic.