Led by MURP student Micah Wilcox, the team—Elizabeth Shin, Gus Grunau, and Sophie Craypo—developed a multi-month planning proposal addressing mobility, land use, housing, environmental resilience, and community needs on vacant land adjacent to the proposed urban trail. The project drew on existing community planning efforts and emphasized integrated, place-based design strategies.

Assistant Professor of Urban Planning Minjee Kim served as faculty advisor, providing guidance and feedback throughout the development and refinement of the submission.

For Wilcox, the experience highlighted both the rigor and rewards of collaborative planning practice. “Submitting a successful proposal consumed a lot of time outside of meetings; we needed to gain a clear sense of what tasks we would need to complete and to estimate the time associated with each, while balancing school and outside jobs,” he said.

“Understanding the whole project allowed us to effectively divide up work, hit milestones along the route to completing the final product, and focus on content rather than logistics. Achieving this balance made us a more competitive team and made the process more fun and fulfilling.”

Wilcox also received the UCLA Urban Planning Dean’s Award for Overall Excellence, recognizing sustained academic achievement and contributions across the two-year MURP program. The award is presented annually by faculty to one graduating student in recognition of exceptional work throughout the degree.