Each year, the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Urban Planning graduate program works with different gateway communities to develop solutions to a specific planning challenge. MPO staff were on hand to serve as panelists, judging proposals and offering helpful feedback.

The graduate students were prompted to re-envision Squire Road in Revere (MA-60), a large commercial corridor in a high-traffic area. Joe Delorto had previous experience in Revere working on the Mobility, Access, and Transportation Insecurity (MATI) Phase 1 project and was pleased for the opportunity to serve as a panelist and offer advice to budding planners. Joe, along with Jenn Emiko Kaplan, spent the day listening to student proposals, providing feedback on planning and implementation, and finally, offering career advice to future planners. The diversity in proposals and students’ experiences blew Joe away.

The number of different approaches and solutions offered by the students was refreshing…I saw thoughtful proposals for new mixed-use development, shared-use pathways linking schools to the community, and opportunities for connecting residents to Revere’s natural assets, which are plentiful but often inaccessible.

Joe also highlighted the impact of learning from other planning professionals in the field, saying the other panelists “provided a wealth of insight into the projects and their own experiences in planning…I enjoyed the experience as much as an audience member as I did as a panelist.” Finally, Joe emphasized the importance of having a diverse range of perspectives and expertise contributing to the planning process, and he hoped that these new planners entering the workforce would take this lesson to heart.

And while no “winner” was crowned, the real prize might just be Revere’s future, reimagined.