During the fall 2021 semester, Dr. Beth Nagy, Assistant Lecturer of Urban Planning Practice and GIS Certificate Coordinator at the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and a local K-12 curricular consultant to prepare a curriculum and teach an urban development module for their Data Science and Risk Management Industry Club. The Industry Club is a six-week program for teenagers that meets daily after school to explore college pathways. 

As part of the initiative, Dr. Nagy taught urban planning and development concepts, as well as mapping and analysis concepts and techniques utilizing Apple tools and software. The students were also guided through an applied research project assessing assets and amenities of the City of Detroit in preparation for a potential NBA All-Star Game bid in the future. Students compared downtown Cleveland to downtown Detroit in terms of amenities valuable to an event of this size using local master plans and maps. The resulting analysis by student groups showcased the assets Detroit has to offer for a high scale event such as an NBA All-Star Game and provided recommendations for locations of new amenities. 

Levin’s Coordinator of Student Recruitment, Kristen Blazek, also led a customized version of the City of Levin simulation with the students, shared information about Levin programs and admission, and led a virtual tour and Q&A about CSU. Kristen shared that she was impressed with the students’ level of interest and insightful questions. City of Levin programming is available in-person and virtually for high school and college audiences. Contact Kristen for more information and to schedule.