In October 2011, I began my internship writing for The Grid. I had always been interested in the potential that social media can provide as a platform for discussions about urban planning and design. Aside from this, I did not quite know what to expect from the experience. Six months later, I am leaving my blogging position at Global Site Plans with a heavy heart and a tremendous amount of gratitude for the learning experience that this internship has afforded me.

In writing about urban planning and environmental design issues in New York City, I was able to explore local planning topics of personal interest to me, ranging from waterfront infrastructure, to business improvement districts, while sharing these topics with a virtually limitless audience. Ultimately, however, the articles that I most enjoyed writing were topic areas that I had the least prior exposure to. Writing about the cost and value of website maintenance and how small scale urban planning, engineering, architecture firms, and environmental non-profits can benefit enormously from it was a challenging and eye-opening experience for me as a planning student.

In my future graduate coursework in City and Regional Planning, and in my future professional life, I will take with me many lessons learned during my time with Global Site Plans. Mostly, I have gained a true understanding of the potential of social media to provide a platform upon which  ideas and information can be exchanged without geographic limitations. This may sound like a simple observation, but I feel that the concept is quite profound. Thank you to Renée van Staveren, and the staff at The Grid, for providing me with this opportunity.

Credits: Image linked to source.

Christine Camilleri

Christine Devon Camilleri blogged for the GRID from October 2011 to May 2012. She is a Graduate student studying City and Regional Planning at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She also holds a B.S. in Human Development from Cornell University. She has lived in New York City for the majority of her life, and currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. Prior to joining Global Site Plans she worked as a grassroots political organizer. She is especially interested in New York City’s post-industrial waterfronts and the implications of participatory planning processes for community development initiatives.

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 7th, 2012 at 4:55 am and is filed under Architecture, Branding, Engineering, Environment, Environmental Design, Environmental Non-Profit, Infrastructure, Land Use, Urban Planning and Design, Website Design, Website Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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