UPCD High School Program · Summer 2026
The 2026 program introduces students to planning foundations before they begin professional internship experiences with the City of Boston Streets Cabinet and related partners.
Program Director: Dr. Sowmya Balachandran.
Instructor: Elinor Hanjian, incoming PhD student in Environmental Science at UMass Boston with experience in environmental education, youth development, community-based research, teaching assistance, and alumni engagement.
Students develop a “planner's eye” through daily observation, photography, mapping, discussion, and reflection. They examine how transportation, housing, public space, climate, infrastructure, and community engagement shape neighborhood life.
Each module introduces a core planning issue and connects it to field observation or applied student work.
What planners do and how planning shapes daily life.
Identifying strengths, challenges, and opportunities.
Complete streets, transit, biking, walking, and accessibility.
Housing types, affordability, development, and neighborhood change.
Flooding, heat, trees, parks, and environmental justice.
Listening, interviewing, surveys, and community voice.
Evidence, observation, visualization, and interpretation.
Turning observations into public recommendations.