DUSP Undergraduate PlanNEXT | Harlem, NYC | Charlestown, Boston

PlanNEXT is a learning initiative connecting MIT undergraduate students with K–12 communities to develop skills for understanding equitable urban planning. The program brought students to two communities: Charlestown in Boston and Harlem in New York City. In Charlestown, MIT students supported teachers and worked with first graders in the classroom. In Harlem, they explored the neighborhood alongside high school students and supported them with the college application process. PlanNEXT brings planning education beyond the lecture hall. Through direct engagement with K–12 communities, MIT students learn to observe, listen, and understand cities through the experiences of the people who live in them. The program emphasized reciprocal learning, with MIT students and their community partners learning from one another. 

-Cherie Miot Abbanat