Planning Intern – Summer 2021

 

For more than 125 years, The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) has lifted up the voices of the people in the debates that shape New York’s built environment and led the way toward a more livable city from sidewalk to skyline. MAS envisions a future in which all New Yorkers share in the richness of city life-where growth is balanced, character endures, and a resilient future is secured.

Our work focuses on the built environment from a variety of angles. Our 2019 report, Bright Ideas, part of our ongoing Fight for Light initiative, provides an inventory of planning and policy solutions for protecting access to sunlight in the public realm. We have since called for a Director of the Public Realm and are poised to release a new report, A Development Framework for a City Built for Sunlight, that recommends increasing access to sunlight through zoning, environmental review, and design.

We are also currently working on another initiative, Technical Support for Comprehensive Planning and CEQR Reform (TASC), a land use mapping tool designed to improve the assessment methodologies for the City’s environmental review process and inform potential users with the City’s recent proposal for a citywide comprehensive planning framework in mind. We are developing recommendations with our coalition partners to strengthen CEQR and make it a more accurate, nuanced, and reliable process for anticipating future development and assessing the environmental impacts of projects and changes in our neighborhoods. Relatedly, we are reviewing the current Gowanus and SoHo/NoHo neighborhood rezonings, the Empire Station Complex proposal for Penn Station, and the 960 Franklin Avenue development in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

In addition, MAS manages the Livable Neighborhoods Program (LNP), which helps communities become stronger advocates for their neighborhoods through better understanding of the land use planning process. For our summer work, LNP will be integrated with our TASC initiative through community outreach and engagement opportunities.

Internship Description

Interns will support MAS planning staff on long- and short-term projects and day-to-day work including, but not limited to:

• Researching, drafting, and presenting advocacy positions and testimony;
• Contributing to studies, reports, presentations, building modeling, and mapping projects; and
• Developing educational resources and tools.

Interns can expect to assist with meetings and events organized by MAS and/or partner organizations both during and outside of regular office hours. Interns can expect to gain experience in presenting to a variety of audiences at public hearings, including community board members, City agencies, and elected officials. The internship will provide opportunities for skill development and new applications for mapping, research, analysis, and advocacy.

Requirements

Applicants must be currently enrolled in a master’s degree program focused on city and regional planning, community development, urban studies, historic preservation, public policy, urban design, economic development, real estate development, economics, or a related field. A limited number of paid internships are available. Paid interns should plan to work full time (40 hours per week) for the duration of the summer. Unpaid positions will be considered for candidates eligible for either course credit or a stipend through their educational institution.

International students are required to have updated applicable practical training paperwork for employment through your school and a valid social security number.

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience speaking publicly and making effective presentations.
• Ability to conduct in-depth research on existing and proposed development, relevant City and State legislation, and policy initiatives.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and to successfully manage multiple projects.
• Strong urban data analysis skills.
• Knowledge of current urban policy issues, especially New York City’s zoning, land-use, and environmental review processes (ULURP and CEQR).

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience and interest in one or more of the following areas: community-based planning, environmental review, open space planning, sustainability and resiliency, architecture and urban design, historic preservation, real estate and economic development, and affordable housing.
• Experience with mapping and GIS analysis: ArcGIS and Carto.
• Familiarity with programming languages for data analysis, mapping and online applications: SQL, Python, and HTML.
• Experience with specialized design and building modeling software, including Adobe Creative Suite and SketchUp.
• Facilitation of small groups, supporting community visioning or charrettes.

Application Instructions

The application deadline is May 7, 2021, or open until the position is filled.

To apply, please email a resume, cover letter and work sample that demonstrates relevant skills (such as a writing sample, excerpt of a research paper, or portfolio, 10 pages/5 MB maximum) to interns@mas.org, with the subject line “Planning Intern – Summer 2021.”

No phone calls please.

The Municipal Art Society of New York is an Equal Opportunity Employer.