Introduction to Town Planning: An Honors Discovery Seminar with John Mullin

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John Mullin is an emeritus professor of Regional Planning in the Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department, associate director of the Center for Economic Development, a retired brigadier general in the Army National Guard, and former dean of the Graduate School. Currently, he is teaching an Honors Discovery Seminar, Introduction to Town Planning.

Expanding Beyond Teaching

Mullin began his career in teaching and consulting in 1978 here at UMass Amherst. He taught planning and realized that just teaching planning wasn’t enough. 

“I knew that I had to prove to myself, to the students and to the communities that I was competent. Right from the get-go, I decided that I would have a public presence and I joined the American Planning Association.”

He became involved in providing free planning services to towns through UMass, and began to meld his scholarship with the practical experience he gained from these services. In 1990, he opened his own planning firm, Mullin Associates, which is now in its 34th year of business. He is proud to have helped over 100 cities and towns across Massachusetts.

Mullin has worked throughout the state and notes that students may have seen some of his work. Most notably, his very first project was assisting with the plans for Boston's waterfront and the Faneuil Hall Marketplace!

Honors Discovery Seminar

He began teaching an Honors Discovery Seminar after retiring as dean of the Graduate School and returning to teach regional planning once again. The seminar, originally called "The Once and Future New England Mill Town", was one of Mullin's first experiences teaching undergraduate students. He never thought he would enjoy it as much as he does, but he notes certain aspects of the undergraduate experience that appeal to him.

“Everybody came from a different part of New England (mostly Massachusetts), they all had different majors and the Honors College says everybody's going to come in and take a course outside their comfort zone–and I found that so exciting.”

Because so many of his students come from different majors unrelated to town planning, many students ask why they should be taking his seminar.

“I think it's important for everybody to have a clear understanding of why their communities emerged as they have. I can say that students overwhelmingly have a clear-cut knowledge of the education in their towns because they were part of it, but there's a rapid fall off after that.”

Mullin hopes to bridge the knowledge gap that students have within their communities through his seminar. Students learn why their towns are designed the way they are, how communities struggle or thrive in their designed environments, and what they can do about it.

“Students who really get surprised are those who come from small towns with narrow roads, no water, no sewer and no sidewalks and big lots, and they wonder why they're not getting people to live in that community.”

He emphasized how important it is to get involved. Mullin encourages students to take his seminar and become involved in their own towns and communities!