School of Planning, Design and Construction

By: SPDC Communications

Most graduates of the Urban & Regional Planning (URP) Program, in the School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) at Michigan State University (MSU) take Planning Practicum once as a student, but few have the unique opportunity to experience the course twice: first as a student and second as a client. Ryan Soucy, a 2011 URP alumnus, is one of the few with this unique insight.

Today, Soucy is an associate planner with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC). This spring, the SWMPC was a client for the Benton Harbor MakeArt ShareSpace URP Planning Practicum project. The student Practicum group assigned to this project completed a study of art incubators and makerspaces and how they can be applied in Benton Harbor as a community economic development option.

Following the completion of the project, Soucy sat down with SPDC Communications and answered a few questions about his Practicum experiences, shared his challenges of securing a job post-graduation and provided valuable recommendations for future Practicum students.

What was your Planning Practicum project as a URP student?

Ryan Soucy: I took the Planning Practicum course during Spring Semester 2011, and worked with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) on an update to the region’s wellhead protection efforts; helping the Commission to evaluate the status of municipal regulations related to groundwater protection in the Greater Lansing Area.

What aspect of Practicum did you find most valuable in relation to your current career?

Ryan Soucy: Collaborating with the Commission on this project offered me some great professional experience; first and foremost with the opportunity to be a consultant and sharing best practices for communities whose local ordinances may have been outdated for some time. Community planning is a process that should never become stagnant; however, staff planners have a range of administrative priorities that frequently suck time away from engaging in some important long-range activities. While this reality was frustrating, it was also a great chance to learn about how collaborative relationships with partner organizations (like SPDC and TCRPC) can really improve the process. Since then, I’ve realized that collaboration with partners is always valuable in the planning process, and that you must forge these relationships if you wish to be successful.

Did you face any challenges in finding a job after graduation?

Ryan Soucy: Near the end of my senior year at MSU, I got a job as a researcher at the Planning & Zoning Center (PZC) at MSU’s Land Policy Institute. It was kind of a scary time; Michigan’s job market was still reeling from the recession and planning jobs were scarce, especially for entry-level talent. I stayed on with PZC for more than a year following graduation, trying to absorb all of the education and experience I could, while riding out the storm. Eventually the job market began to improve and I was able to leave the nest, landing an associate planner job at the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission.

Share a little bit more about your position now. 

Ryan Soucy: Although I assist on a range of topics, I am primarily an economic development planner. My main duties are the development and implementation of my region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). The CEDS is a plan that is intended to be a road map for federal economic development funding for priority projects that will increase the number of high-skill and high-wage jobs in the region. The plan also serves as a tool for collaboration for our economic development “ecosystem;” creating a venue for important stakeholders to work together to determine the priorities for our region. Following the publication of this plan, I have worked with partner organizations on regional initiatives identified in this plan and helped to guide those seeking federal dollars through the process.

What are your career goals? Have they changed since you graduated?

Ryan Soucy: My career goal following graduation was to land a job--any job. I had a lot of ideals, but that was always first and foremost. After becoming a practicing planner and becoming more aware of the challenges my community faced in the future, my goal has been to share my knowledge as a planner and to educate the community on the importance of tackling long-range issues so we can all be more prosperous. Issues like the attraction, retention and development of talent; creating livable places; building a strong regional food economy; and creating an environment that inspires innovation.

How did your academic and/or extracurricular experiences in the URP Program prepare you for the workplace and your current position?

Ryan Soucy: Although it wasn’t a specific course, it seemed to be a theme across all of my studies: the interconnectivity of all issues in the realm of planning. Planners might have their specific focus on topics like environment, transportation, housing and/or economic development; however, all of these fields have an impact on one another. How does an employee get to a job without a well-functioning transportation network? How do we attract talent if our natural environment isn’t valued and protected? As planners, we can’t operate in silos and must acknowledge the complexity of the world we work in.

Reflect on your experience as a client for Practicum. What were the challenges in working with students and what did you enjoy about this experience?

Ryan Soucy: I was very excited for the opportunity to work with the students. I had what I thought was a great concept for a study that could encourage one of my more economically and socially distressed communities; however, I couldn’t find any way to fund the research and lacked the time to work on it on my own. The students ended up doing a fantastic job and there were some challenges, but I think that is to be expected with new professionals, particularly with communication. Good writing, listening, note-taking and clarity in informal communications are critical in the planning world. When I work with students, I expect that they will put forth their best effort on all of these, making sure to treat my time as valuable, and getting the most out of it. Most of all, I enjoyed getting to know each of my students and having the opportunity to mentor the next round of new professionals.

Do you have any advice or recommendations for future Practicum students?

Ryan Soucy: Work on your writing and communication skills; it is really the backbone of all planning work. To be an effective planner, you have to be able to listen and educate. Learn about your community and those organizations and individuals working within it and build trust and relationships with them.

One last thing: if you’re serious about planning as a career, always stay relevant in the field. Even if you can’t find a job, stay plugged in by attending educational events like those offered by MSU Extension, the Michigan Association of Planning and the National Charrette Institute. Volunteer your expertise if you have time, involve yourself in planning meetings in your community and build your network. You might not realize it immediately, but someday these experiences and relationships might lead to something bigger and better.

Learn more about Planning Practicum and the 2013 Spring semester projects at MSU Urban & Regional Planning Experience.