UrbanPlan Newsletter: The Hero in the Cubicle Next Door

January 13, 2023

Webster’s Dictionary defines a “hero” as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose…

An “everyday hero” is defined as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose…who can be found at any given moment of the work-week in the cubicle next door.

ULI Nashville, your everyday heroes are truly why UrbanPlan’s inaugural year has been a success!

Without a doubt, the heart of the UrbanPlan initiative is the ULI member volunteer corps. Could there be an UrbanPlan without volunteers? Sure; the UP curriculum is well-developed and provides a wealth of knowledge that could be relayed solely through traditional teaching methods, but would it provide the same value? The answer is a resounding NO; it’s the interpersonal interaction between volunteers and students that makes the UP experience special, and it’s the contribution of the volunteers’ time, effort, and most importantly, sincere desire to make a difference in their community, that affects positive change.

The initial “ask” of ULI members to become an UrbanPlan volunteer was not small; an eight-hour training session over a span of two days during the work-week was the first requirement, with two hours of prep work needed to complete the training. Gaining familiarity with a financial model that offers a bit of challenge in navigation to many industry professionals and learning how to properly execute Socratic Method questioning as well as a background check that one member referred to as “a digital version of an airport security pat-down,” calls for a much deeper level of commitment than the usual volunteer opportunities. And that was all prerequisite to the actual day of volunteering! But the first group of members who stepped up and made the commitment did so readily and willingly, continuing the history of the consistent, generous involvement and support of ULI Nashville members over the years.

Many thanks to our inaugural year volunteers; your generosity is the foundation of all successful efforts of the UrbanPlan initiative.

And more volunteers are always needed!

Recently, volunteer training and requirements were significantly streamlined; what was previously eight hours over a two-day Zoom, is now a 2.5 hour on-demand virtual session, accessible to trainees at a time of their choosing, from any location. (To note, the digital airport-security-pat-down-background-check remains.)

Join the UrbanPlan corps of everyday heroes today; your cape awaits you.

2022-23 UrbanPlan Volunteers

Madison Adams, InvestSmart TN LLC

Matt Anderson, AI. Neyer

Andrea Barbour, Metro Nashville Planning Department

Megan Bennett, Pillars Development

Herbert Brown, Turner Construction

Cory Clark, Metro Nashville Planning Department

Seth Crawford, Hawkins Partners, Inc.

Stacy Deru, Engineered Advisory

Rose Faeges-Easton, Retired

Lauren Garrott, Pillars Development