This month, as part of UVA’s Externship Program, Renaissance hosted Samantha Lewis, a graduate student in the Urban and Environmental Planning program (MUEP). Samantha is specializing in historic preservation and matched with Renaissance for this week-long externship because of her well-rounded prior experiences working as a professional public planner and as Chief of Staff in the VA House of Delegates prior to grad school.
Samantha selected Renaissance because of our mission and message, especially the first impression she felt from the citiesthatwork.com homepage that states:
CITIES ARE EMERGENT SYSTEMS CONSTANTLY CHANGING.
WE HELP CITIES EVOLVE — AND WE LOVE BUSTING SILOS TO TACKLE PROBLEMS IN HOLISTIC WAYS.
Samantha says, “This struck a chord because it is something that we had talked about a lot in class; that there is no one way to plan, and the need for approaching planning and issues in a way that is inclusive and recognizes that places are not static. It really pointed out that Renaissance practices this, and I was looking for a firm that embraced those challenges.”
Samantha externed in the Charlottesville office and participated in a wide range of Renaissance projects, meetings, and collaborative efforts. UVA’s Externship program allows for students to be immediately thrown into the mix and Samantha excelled at every assignment – including the challenge to pen her insights about a few learning opportunities during her week with Renaissance.
Top Four Things I Learned During My Externship Week
– by Samantha Lewis (MUEP, UVA 2022)
1. Project Development: Working on a project is very similar to a classroom setting or planning studio experience. It requires collaboration and communication to deliver for the client. A large part of development is doing the research to ensure that design proposals fit within the locality, in terms of scale and the needs of the community, and in terms of the state’s regulations. I had the opportunity to dive into VDOT roadway design standards to support actual project deliverables for a municipal client in Virginia.
2. Mobility Fees: Developments that go into communities bring more people to an area. Developers pay mobility fees to a locality to offset the stress their development brings on existing infrastructure. Each locality manages and allocates these funds differently with most of the fees going toward road improvements. Recently there has been a big push in cities across the country to dedicate more funds to multi-modal transit options like bus lines, sidewalks and trails, and bike lanes to create thriving and sustainable communities. I delivered precedent research, including videos about Mobility Fees, that helped staff develop communication products for work in Miami-Dade County for their new Mobility Fee.
3. Storytelling: Communication is key when working with a variety of stakeholder groups. Using visuals such as videos, logos, colors, and maps (even a music video for FDOT) can communicate across those divisions to provide information on projects that need to appeal to a wide range of audiences. Clear communication is key! I saw the range of storytelling, videos, communication, and marketing work that is vital for a small consulting firm like Renaissance.
4. Renaissance: Living up to its name, Renaissance Planning does such a wide range of planning and consulting. From land use planning and transportation to freight planning, data analytics, and everything in between, Renaissance is pushing the boundaries of planning, architecture, technology, and more to create great places. Mapping, data, branding and logos, federal and state, small towns, and large cities Renaissance Planning has the passion and expertise to make cities work.
– S. Lewis