Amelia Lavallee, a Master of Regional Planning Candidate at UMass Amherst, recently joined the City of Warwick, Rhode Island as Principal Planner. Warwick is the second-largest city in the state and plays a critical role in the Providence metropolitan region. With its extensive coastline, historic neighborhoods, and evolving commercial corridors, Warwick presents dynamic opportunities and challenges in areas such as climate resilience, land use planning, transportation, and economic development.
Lavallee reflects on what this accomplishment means to her:
"This opportunity is a meaningful next step in my planning career, and I’m incredibly grateful to the UMass Master of Regional Planning program and the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP) for preparing me to take it on. I especially want to thank the Center for Resilient Metro Regions and my mentor, Wayne Fieden, FAICP, for giving me the opportunity to work as a research assistant, and planning consultant for a variety of municipalities across New England. Those experiences allowed me to grow as a professional and strengthened my ability to serve diverse communities, work that I am deeply proud of.
The MRP curriculum offered a strong foundation in applied planning practice, and the program’s faculty and staff were incredibly supportive throughout my academic and professional journey.
As there are no accredited planning programs in the State of Rhode Island, without the MRP program offered at UMass, I would not have had the knowledge, professional and academic development opportunities, nor the connections that this program has provided. During my time at UMass, I have been recognized and celebrated by both APA-MA and APA-RI for my accomplishments as a student, coupled with my work for CRM, I had a competitive edge in the job market prior to even graduating.
I look forward to supporting Warwick’s planning efforts and to carrying forward the values, knowledge, and relationships that UMass helped me build."