Land Use and Environmental Planning

Joungwon (Jo) Kwon is a doctoral student who hopes to become an interdisciplinary urban planner and scholar. She is interested in the use of visuals, specifically interactive maps, in plans. She holds an MA Computational Media from Duke University. Her previous work is on “The Use of Geographic Information System for the Adaptive Reuse of Historical Sites: A Study of the Durham Belt Line Trail” which is about the adaptive reuse of the Durham Belt Line, an abandoned railway in Downtown Durham.

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Land Use and Environmental Planning

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Water resources and sanitation planning in developing countries

Specialization: Water resources and sanitation planning in developing countries
Hometown: New Delhi, India
Previous degrees: Bachelor of Architecture – School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi ‘12, Master of Regional Planning – Cornell University ‘17

Saumitra’s research focuses focus on risk and vulnerabilities in urban water and sanitation in the context of low- and middle-income countries. Prior to starting his PhD, Saumitra worked on several research projects related to urban water management in India. For his master’s thesis project, he studied the vulnerability of households to flooding in the informal settlements of Kolkata. During his field visits he realized the importance of reliable access to, and provision of water and sanitation facilities for reducing risk and decided to apply to PhD programs to study this subject in greater depth. Saumitra also worked as a research associate at the Tata-Cornell Institute conducting spatial analysis of food systems in India. He also worked as a planner in an interdisciplinary team at Cornell studying the motivations behind the different responses by communities to flooding in Upstate New York.

He was delighted to be accepted into UNC’s program not only because of the program’s reputation for high quality research on water and sanitation but because of the diverse faculty and students that would enrich his education by providing opportunities to learn new approaches and methods for addressing planning problems.

In the department, Saumitra is part of the PhD Policy Committee. He enjoys studying at the PhD office space with his peers, finding it a very stimulating environment where students play a significant role in each other’s education. Saumitra was also the recipient of the Druscilla French Fellowship in 2019.

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Environmental planning

I am broadly interested in environmental planning with a focus on economic development and the maintenance or improvement of ecosystem health.

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PhD Student

Specialization: Land Use and Environmental Planning

Hometown: Denver, CO

Previous Degrees: BS Environmental Engineering – Stanford ‘11, MSPH Environmental Sciences & Engineering – UNC ‘14, MCRP Land Use and Environmental Planning – UNC ‘14

Kyle has studied water and sanitation planning in low and middle-income countries in some form or another since his time as an undergraduate student at Stanford. Through his various degrees, he has examined the topic from the perspectives of engineering, public health, and land use planning. He chose to become a doctoral student at Carolina Planning because the department offered the multidisciplinary skillset needed to support his research, which touches on the complex issues and intersections of economics, climate change, and social justice.

At Carolina Planning, Kyle has acted as the PhD program’s admissions coordinator, assisted with several graduate courses and taught an undergraduate class. On campus, he has been involved with Stigma Free Carolina, a campaign advocating for de-stigmatization of mental health issues and treatment. In the community, he has assisted with public health surveys and information campaigns in the rural areas of the Piedmont region.

Carolina Planning and the university at large have taught Kyle the skills needed to conduct rigorous and credible social science research, as well as how to navigate the professional worlds of academic, public-sector, and nonprofit research. But despite the quality of education and resources Kyle is able to access through Carolina Planning, when asked what he likes best about the department, he says that he “could not ask for better colleagues.”

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Specialization: Housing & Community Development

Hometown: Madison, WI

Previous Degrees: BS History & Political Science – University of Wisconsin ‘14, MURP – University of Minnesota 16’

Atticus’ experience as an affordable housing researcher in the Twin Cities led him to Carolina Planning as a PhD student. Through a range of research experiences, he has examined how the built environment reflects and perpetuates systems of privilege and disadvantage, particularly with respect to neighborhood conditions and access to affordable housing. He chose to pursue a planning doctorate, not only to further explore these topics, but also because the applied nature of planning gives him the opportunity to work toward advancing more equitable urban planning practices.

Atticus was attracted to Carolina Planning because the department housed multiple faculty whose work aligned with his interests. On top of that, he would also have the opportunity to take courses from other leading scholars at Duke and North Carolina State. He liked that the curriculum has a strong focus on methods because that would prepare him to work in both academic and non-academic environments after graduation.

In the department, Atticus serves Carolina Planning as the PhD admissions assistant, which requires him to provide administrative assistance to faculty and help coordinate spring visits for admitted doctoral students. He also works as a research associate at the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, where he conducts ongoing evaluations of the Charlotte Housing Authority’s Move to Work and Jobs Plus programs. In the broader campus community, Atticus teaches workshops on applied research and data visualization for the Carolina Center for Public Service.

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