Tag: Meet Our CSC Alumni

Meet our Alumni: Colin McArthur

Posted on by Admin

Meet our Alumni: Colin McArthur   

Current City

Eugene, OR

What Community Service Center program(s) did you work with?

Community Planning Workshop (CPW)

What year(s) were you affiliated with the Community Service Center (CSC)?

2004-2006

My most memorable experience or greatest accomplishment at the Community Service Center and its programs was…:

I presented a finished Parks Master Plan to a Parks Board and City Council in a small community in southern Oregon (Talent). Most of the officials had participated in the process, were excited about the product, and were appreciative for the work that CPW did. During my undergrad, my experience was that most student work/projects were not taken seriously. Parks are a small part of the fabric of a community. I was struck by the weight of the action; adopting a meaningful, long-range policy document that would help shape (in a small, incremental way) a community’s future.                                                                  

The most critical skill(s) I learned from being engaged in CSC programs are/is….:

How local, state, and special district governments really work. Our governance systems are much maligned and misunderstood. Working on projects for those clients provides a window into the actors, processes, and forces at play. This is experience that cannot be replicated through observation or simply reading the news. It provided invaluable perspective on the challenges that public officials face and a greater understanding of the work that they do for all of us.
   
What was your first job after engaging with the CSC, with what organization and where?

I was hired as a planner with Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning. We are a small, 16-member firm located in Downtown Eugene.

Who is your current employer and what’s your current position/title/role? What do you do in your position?

I’m currently a principal at Cameron McCarthy. I direct the firm’s planning practice, manage projects, and supervise planning and design staff. Our planning practice focuses on assisting public agencies with comprehensive planning; natural resource and infrastructure planning; implementation; and development.
                                                                     
What professional organizations do you belong to?

Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association,

Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects ,

& Oregon Track Club
                                                                     
What advice would you give someone just entering this field?

Most of the projects we work on are multi-disciplinary. It’s common to work on a team with architects, landscape architects, engineers (civil, structural, transportation), economists, biologists, botanists, etc. The planner is often (intentionally or unintentionally) in the role of primary communicator, facilitator, and sometimes mediator. To be effective in that role, a general understanding of what each of those professionals does, what they are interested in, and what they care about is extremely valuable.

Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture and Planning

We look for projects that move the community along. The City of Eugene is beginning to implement a community vision for growth and change in the next 20 years. It’s a process that only happens every 20 years or so. The project is being managed by a graduate of the MCRP program and there will be lots of action at the Planning Commission and Council levels during the next couple years. Check out what’s happening with Envision Eugene.

Bio: Colin McArthur, AICP

McArthur directs Cameron McCarthy’s planning practice and has 13+ years of experience working in Oregon communities.  McArthur specializes in assisting public agencies with comprehensive planning; natural resource and infrastructure planning; implementation; and development.  McArthur is an adjunct instructor in the PPPM department at the University of Oregon and teaches courses in land use and growth management.

McArthur’s recent work includes the I-5 Willamette River Bridge Replacement, EWEB Riverfront Master Plan Land Use Implementation, and various campus and athletics projects for the University of Oregon.

More about the Community Planning Workshop(CPW)

 

Meet our Alumni: Susan Hopkins

Posted on by Admin
Picture from http://detroitfellows.com

Susan Hopkins lives in Detroit where she works as a program manager at the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP). Her position at the DDP is part of the Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program, a two-year program administered by Wayne State University and funded by the Kresge, Hudson-Webber, and Skillman foundations. Before moving to Detroit, Hopkins worked for ECONorthwest, an economics and finance consulting firm based in Eugene.

What Community Service Center (CSC) program(s) did you work with?

Community Planning Workshop(CPW)

What year(s) were you affiliated with the CSC?

2002-2004

My most memorable experience or greatest accomplishment at the Community Service Center and its programs was…:
   
Working on a CPW project in Redmond, OR as a first year, I realized as our team gave results to the City Council of Redmond how different it is when the stakes are more or less higher than a typical student project. My eyes were opened to the way it feels to be accountable for the information being delivered, the anxiety (or motivation) to make sure everything is accurate because it’s your reputation on the line–and these are real clients paying real money for the work. You cannot manufacture that kind of real world experience in a typical academic setting. It’s something you have to experience and feel to fully understand.

The most critical skill(s) I learned from being engaged in CSC programs are/is….:

Learning to read a complex situation. For example, the dynamics and interactions with paying clients. What are people in a meeting saying vs. thinking? What does our client really want? The value of CPW is that you can participate in that kind of real world interaction and then afterwards debrief with the team and someone like Bob Parker, who can then help you dissect what just happened.

Basic Skills : Learn Microsoft Word and Excel. Knowing 20% more than the average person will get you far. Though it’s not rocket science, colleagues have remarked that I am a magician just because I know how to use styles, can figure out page breaks and can create pivot tables.

What was your first job after engaging with the CSC, with what organization and where?

My first job was a full service development firm in Portland, Oregon called WRG Design. My role was to coordinate the pre-development process, pulling together all the different pieces that go into a development project: site selection, market studies, traffic studies, site plans, and civil engineering plans, architectural plans, zoning permits, environmental permits, etc. It was a fantastic place to work. I loved working with all the talented and committed people in that field. And it was a wonderful way to learn about all aspects of the development process.
                                
What professional organizations do you belong to?

Women’s Transportation Seminar: WTS
Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association: OAPA
Urban Land Institute: ULI

What advice would you give someone just entering this field?

Don’t hold out for the job that perfectly aligns with 100% of your ideals and principles. Keep an open mind to possibilities and explore your job opportunities.

Call to Action / Plug Something: Find me here, Register for my workshops, Subscribe to our newsletter, Visit my website, Follow us on Facebook, Support us, Attend this event , Find out more here, etc.

Want to participate in the Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program?
The Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program will soon begin its search for the second cohort of fellows. The program combines two years of full-time employment with executive development-style education. There will be extensive networking opportunities, along with professional coaching and mentoring. http://wayne.edu/detroitfellows/program.php

More about the Community Planning Workshop(CPW)

See Susan @ Rebuilding Communities Symposium: Eugene & Portland, Oregon / February 6-7, 2013