More Engaging Planning

Bio: Jennifer Sien Erickson has worked with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) - the regional planning agency serving the Metropolitan Boston region - since 2009. As a regional planner in the Land Use Division, she staffs a wide range of land use planning projects with MAPC communities. She currently staffs several projects in the areas of housing, priority development and priority preservation, transit-oriented development and equity. Ms. Erickson's current roles include serving as subregional coordinator for the North Suburban Planning Council, a nine-community subregion of MAPC. She also serves as MAPC's liaison to the Fair Housing Caucus of the Sustainable Communities Consortium, and as project manager of a cross-departmental agency committee working to advance equity and cultural competency at MAPC. Prior to joining MAPC, Ms. Erickson worked for art and human services nonprofits, private philanthropies, and as an independent consultant.

Education: Master of Arts, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University (2013, Expected) Bachelor of Science, Global Studies, Lesley University (2005)

Key Publications: Agyeman, Julian and Erickson, Jennifer S. (2012). Culture, Recognition, and the Negotiation of Difference: Some Thoughts on Cultural Competency in Planning Education. Journal of Planning Education and Research, September 2012 32: 358-366, first published on April 10, 2012. doi:10.1177/0739456X12441213

Bio: Urban Renewal Planner for City of Quincy carrying out the $1.6 billion 3.5 million square foot "New Quincy Center" Redevelopment Project. Starting in 2004 with a yearlong public outreach effort to build public consensus around Vision for downtown revitalization, the City of Quincy has been on a nine year journey to revitalize its central business district. Through targeting public investments in infrastructure and adoption of new zoning, an urban renewal district, and close to $300 million in public financing, the New Quincy Center will transform into one of the region’s most unique and desired urban experiences. Using the knowledge gained form the Quincy Center project, in the first half of 2012, city officials engaged the public to discuss redevelopment potential of the Wollaston Neighborhood Business District. Home to the City’s largest concentration of minority populations, used the web-based Community PlanIt game to ensure that linguistically isolated, low-income minority residents and immigrants became active participants in city planning activities.

Education: BS from Bridegewater State University in Geography: Concentrations in Regional Planning and Environmental Issues.

Past Assignments: 2009 Southern New England APA Conference: The New Quincy Center. 2011 Metropolitan Area Planning Council Annual Meeting: TOD Housing. 2011 APA National Conference Boston: Urban Renewal in the City of Presidents Mobile Workshop. 2012 Southern New England APA Conference: Quincy Community Plan-It 2012 Boston UniversityDepartment of Urban Affairs & City Planning Fall Lecture Series called “The Edge: Urban and Regional Conversations at Boston University”