Student Profile

In October 2006, a little more than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, CRP students conducted over 200 resident surveys to develop a participatory comprehensive plan for the 9th Ward of New Orleans, one of the most severely damaged districts in the city. Other students and I were especially touched by the stories that we were told. There was an overwhelming resonance in what people felt they needed to tell us, much of which did not fit within the rubric of a quick and empirical survey. In the beginning of the spring semester, with the help of the Arch Winter Fellowship for the Study of Southern Cities, I conducted follow-up interviews in an attempt to capture some of these stories. Between March 17 and 27, 2007, I interviewed 18 residents with the help of Ben Phelps-Rohrs (B.A. ’07), who assisted me with audio recording and editing. Our aim was to respectfully document residents’ personal narratives of struggle, resilience and rebuilding.

In September 2007, with the support of the Cornell Council for the Arts, the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and the Department of City and Regional Planning, I held an exhibition of the photographic portraits and interview recordings, as well as landscape photos of the 9th Ward, at the John Hartell Gallery in the Sibley Dome. This project was later developed into a web-based multimedia slideshow, which can be found on the CRP website. The interviews are also available at the AAP Podcast site.

To see an online version of Brian's exhibit, complete with audio, visit the link below.
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"I believe that the strength of Cornell’s Department of City and Regional Planning is its flexible curriculum and its embracing of interdisciplinary scholarship"

M.R.P. Regional Planning 2008

I began Cornell’s master's program in City and Regional Planning after spending two years working at Brown University’s Swearer Center for Public Service as the fellowships coordinator. The Swearer Center provides opportunities for Brown students to partner with community-based non-profit and governmental organizations, both within and outside of Rhode Island. This followed my trajectory of completing a B.A. in sociology, concentrating in urban development and social change, at Clark University. While in Providence, I also completed some coursework in digital media at Rhode Island School of Design.

My academic and work experience have revolved around the way that universities and other research institutions can create meaningful partnerships with community organizations, especially through participatory action research. I was able to pursue this interest further as a graduate assistant in the Cornell Urban Scholars Program, as an intern producing analytical maps for community organizations at the Providence Plan, and through my participation in the ACORN-University collaboration and the New Orleans Planning Initiative. My involvement with planning research in New Orleans inspired me to combine my studies in community-based planning with my interests in ethnographic research and photography.

Being a Cornell Planning Student
I believe that the strength of Cornell’s Department of City and Regional Planning is its flexible curriculum and its embracing of interdisciplinary scholarship. This extends not only to coursework; student-led projects and initiatives are embraced by the department. Besides receiving generous financial support to make the Rebuilding the 9th Ward project possible, I received guidance, encouragement and technical support from numerous faculty members.

As an illustration of the flexibility of the curriculum at CRP, I have developed a fairly unorthodox exit project. After reflecting on the dynamic between myself and the residents I interviewed, I have decided to write a research paper on theory and criticism of documentary methods. Not only did my adviser embrace this endeavor, but he has asked me to help design a course that addresses this topic in the context of planning.

I am currently the president of Planning Students for Diversity, a member of the CRP Diversity Committee, and previously served as the social chair for the Organization of Cornell Planners. I am also a resident of the Telluride House and member of the Telluride Association.