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The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Master of City and Regional Planning program at the University of Memphis!

We are spending the year celebrating the BIG impact that our little program has had on community development in Memphis and beyond – through the research and policy work of faculty members, the community-engaged work of our courses, the inspiration and innovation of our diverse students, and the leadership of our alumni.

This page provides information on our program's history and impact through an interactive timeline and story maps. 

Check back often for information on our year-long 50th Anniversary Event Series, and save the date for our 50th Anniversary Weekend in Memphis: April 11-13, 2025.


 

 

Contribute to the FIFTY FORWARD FUND  50forward

50th Anniversary Event Series

Coming Up:

AI as Tool to Advance the Work of City Planners and Urban Designers [register here]

March 21, 2025, 3:30pm (hybrid)
Sridhar Sunkara, CEO/Digital Transformation Leader, eBiz Solution
FedEx Institute of Technology, The Zone (virtual option is also available)

 

Past Events:

Lessons in Public Sector Leadership

December 6, 2024 at noon, Virtual Panel Discussion [View the discussion]
Moderated by Angela Brooks, FAICP, President of the American Planning Association
 
A panel of MCRP alumni discuss challenges, changes, and  triumphs in public sector leadership, and offer insights for planning students and early career planners.
 
  • John Zeanah, Director of Planning and Development, Memphis-Shelby County
  • Jordan Hillman, COO of JXN Water, Jackson, MS
  • Ben Requet, Director of Planning, Oxford, MS
  • Lauren Kirk, Chief Innovation Officer, Jackson, TN
  • Judy Daniel, Former Planning Director for Williamson County, TN; Asheville, NC; and Oxford, MS

 

Non-traditional Career Paths for Planning and Design Graduates

January 31, 2025 at noon, Virtual Panel Discussion [View the discussion]
A panel of UofM MCRP alumni discuss finding their ways to meaningful careers outside of the typical planning office. 
 
  • Kyle Wagenschutz, founder of City Thread, Denver, CO
  • Dr. Nadia Shah, Director of Upbuild Foundation, Chicago, IL
  • Shannon Dixon, CEO (sole proprietor) at Shannon MB Dixon Consulting, Memphis, TN
  • Katie Flynn Koleini, Deputy Director of Development at Cities for Financial Empowerment, New York, NY

 

Worlding Feminist Economies: The Case of the Black Banker Ladies in the Americas

February 20, 2025, 4pm (in person) POSTPONED
Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein, University of Toronto
University Center Fountain View Room 350
 
This is event is co-hosted with SUAPP as part of the Urban Affairs 2024-2025 Colloquium Series.
Click for more information and registration
 

Explore our Program's History and Impact

Click below to view an interactive timeline. 

timeline


Explore our impact through the story map below, or click here to open the map in another tab.


Look inside the program from the perspective of some current students


Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Sponsors

Premier Sponsors

DPD

 

 

 

gresham smith

 

KH

SUAPP

  

 

 

 

 




Supporters

eBiz S&W