Education Essay Example: Urban Design and City Planning MSc

Cities and major urban areas are facing challenges brought about by rapid growth in population and limited resources. I have traveled to many cities and found that some are struggling to cope with these challenges. I remember in 2013 when I traveled to Nairobi for a holiday. I stayed in traffic for more than one hour moving from the airport to a hotel just ten kilometers apart. In other cities, residents are facing a shortage of water, poor sewerage systems, among other challenges. I shared my experiences with friends and experts in urban planning and realized that the primary source of such problems is poor urban design and planning. These experiences influenced my interest in urban design and city planning. To further this interest, I have completed my bachelor's degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Manchester. During my degree course, I gained several skills and knowledge in urban planning such as urban planning principles, transportation planning, infrastructure and utilities planning, housing, population and demographics, urban design and site planning, resource and environmental planning, and planning law, among other skills.

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I have also acquired several skills and experiences through internships and volunteering. For instance, during my internship at City Hall, London, I gained skills in collaborating with housing associations, private developers, and transport associations, among other stakeholders in urban planning. The practical experiences sharpened my skills and enhanced my understanding of the problems facing urban and city planners. My interaction with experts and research have helped me understand that the challenges facing cities are evolving and strategies must evolve to adapt to the new issues. I traveled to a city that it is still relying on a plan developed in 1967 yet its population had grown by more than 1000%. I have since appreciated that urban and city planners lay a critical role in improving the well-being of communities as a whole by promoting sustainable development and solving emerging problems.

My next objective is to pursue a Master of Science degree in Urban Design and City Planning. I strongly believe pursuing this course at UCL will be a significant step towards my ultimate goal of becoming a Chartered Town Planner. Pursuing the program will enhance my urban planning strategies, urban design, design and real estate, placemaking, layout and typology, and sustainable futures, among other areas. It will help understand the emerging issues facing cities and improve my skills portfolio to handle such challenges. The program will make me a better urban and city planner thereby enabling me to contribute positively to the process of building resilient cities across the world. UCL is one of the most renowned universities, not only in the UK but also globally. It will be a privilege to learn from accomplished professors such as Prof Peter Bishop, Prof Matthew Carmona, and Prof Caren Levy, among other faculty members. I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge and experiences working with other faculty members during this course. I will bring to the university a positive attitude, various experiences, well-developed research and team building skills, among other experiences. I hope we will all learn and make significant discoveries that will enhance sustainable development of our cities as well as improvement in the faculty.