{"584885":{"#nid":"584885","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Khaliff Davis (MCRP \u002715) Explores Links Between Tactical Urbanism and Community Development in his Option Paper","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKhaliff Davis, an alumnus of the Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning, explored\u0026nbsp;the links between tactical urbanism and community development in his option paper, written while he was a second year in our MCRP program. We asked him a few questions about his paper, his life after graduate school, and his time at Tech!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhat was your option \u0026nbsp;paper about?\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy option paper explores how the public sector can leverage tactical urbanism\u0026mdash;i.e. a series of small, low-cost placemaking improvements\u0026mdash;as a viable tool within the broader toolbox of community development. Generally, government resources have favored intensive \u0026ldquo;brick and mortar\u0026rdquo; development. My\u0026nbsp;paper provides a justification for government to support a greater variety of small scale, inclusive development approaches to better meet the values of the public.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhy did you pick that topic?\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI was fascinated by the global do-it-yourself movement spurred by the devastating effects of the recent economic downturn. I was also inspired by the community driven interventions I observed during my time studying in Brazil\u0026mdash;an opportunity leveraged through a partnership with Georgia Tech and the University of Florida. I began questioning the extent of the public sector\u0026rsquo;s role in supporting the smart, earnest placemaking I observed everywhere around me. My option paper topic was essentially an argument to increase the level of government support for these community led initiatives, which I felt was low in some jurisdictions and non-existent in others.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETalk a little bit about your relationship with your advisor.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne can imagine the lack of precedent for the research I proposed. It proved difficult to define the methods and locate the relevant literature to address my topic successfully. Dan Immergluck helped to form my initial scope of work into a coherent plan of action and suggested the relevant literature I needed to produce quality work. To me, conducting research is a painstakingly beautiful process, Dan allowed enough flexibility to make a mistake, learn from it, and then, do better.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhat are you up to these days? Is your research related to what you are doing now?\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0026rsquo;m currently based in Washington D.C. working in the social impact investment sector. I get to travel across the country to deploy creative, mission-driven capital to community projects that encourage equitable, inclusive development. While not directly related to my research, I often engage with community stakeholders committed to creating a brighter future on their terms. On a more direct note, I have begun initial conversations with the DC Office of Planning and District Department of Transportation to encourage a study and update of the current city required public space permits for street performance art.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhat are a few of the things you enjoyed most about the program here?\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Tech, I had the freedom to pursue my interests full stop. The school resources (and city!) provided me with the opportunity to grow as a scholar and professional. I also recently visited the \u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech of the North\u0026rdquo; on business, and I must say, the people at Tech are much better!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/smartech.gatech.edu\/handle\/1853\/53783https:\/\/smartech.gatech.edu\/handle\/1853\/53783\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERead Khaliff\u0026#39;s paper here!\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKhaliff Davis\u0026nbsp;remembers his time at Georgia Tech, and the research he completed as a planning graduate student.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Khaliff Davis remembers his time at Georgia Tech, and the research he completed as a planning graduate student."}],"uid":"28044","created_gmt":"2016-12-09 17:21:31","changed_gmt":"2016-12-09 19:35:10","author":"Jessie Brandon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"584884":{"id":"584884","type":"image","title":"khaliff davis","body":null,"created":"1481304071","gmt_created":"2016-12-09 17:21:11","changed":"1481304071","gmt_changed":"2016-12-09 17:21:11","alt":"","file":{"fid":"223003","name":"khaliff.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/khaliff.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/khaliff.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":326018,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/khaliff.jpg?itok=KBG-28PI"}}},"media_ids":["584884"],"groups":[{"id":"1224","name":"School of City \u0026 Regional Planning"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}