By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

Students from the Master's in City Planning program at the University of Pennsylvania attended the Special Meeting of the Kennett Borough Council on Joint Economic Development on Jan. 28, as part of a project that will partner these students with the borough through their spring semester.

As part of their involvement with the borough, the students will attend workshops, conduct studies and make recommendations for economic strategies, in order to gain practical experience in working with cities, towns and municipalities. Once completed, the students will make a presentation of their findings in the borough to their fellow students, their professors and elected officials from the borough, at the University of Pennsylvania in May. The students are expected to conduct a snapshot analysis of the borough from components as far ranging as demographics, economic data and environmental analysis.

Offered by PennDesign, The Department of City & Regional Planning's two-year, 19 credit-unit Master of City Planning program prepares its students for careers in city planning, with special focus on finding practical solutions to problems of climate change and environmental degradation; managing the continuing migration to cities; protecting vulnerable communities from the effects of the financial meltdown; and turning sustainability and resiliency from buzzwords into best practices.

All students in the Master's program must complete one of six concentrations (Community and Economic Development, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Public-Private Development, Smart Cities, Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, or Urban Design), as well as complete a summer internship between their first and second years.