By Martin Spink, BUPD, 2023

This past summer I was given the opportunity to intern with American Structurepoint’s Planning + Economic Development Group. American Structurepoint is an architecture and engineering firm encompassing eleven design and engineering disciplines across seven states. As an intern, I worked on comprehensive plans and unified development ordinances for communities throughout the Midwest. I utilized the skills I had learned in the BUPD program including proficiency in ArcGIS Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud, and a number of data collection and analysis tools to complete my assignments.

Intern Day is one of the unique activities Structurepoint coordinates for their summer interns. On that day, about 40 interns from the Indy office and around the country started the morning with a community service project in partnership with Indy Parks cleaning up Sahm Park on the northside. After lunch, we heard from a panel of professionals including company President Rick Conner, the mayor of Carmel, and representatives from engineering and real estate firms. We finished out the day with a couple of games at Top Golf in Fishers.

One project that really stood out for me this summer was the Posey County, Ind., Comprehensive Plan. While working on this project, I was given the opportunity to go to Posey County with my mentor Philip Roth and our group leader Matt O’Rourke for two days. Those two days were packed with stakeholder meetings across the county during the day and public outreach at the Posey County Fair in the evenings. I really enjoyed getting to speak with community members about issues they’d like to see considered and addressed in their new comprehensive plan.

Following graduation in December 2023, I will head back to the Indy area and start as an associate planner with American Structurepoint. Overall, Structurepoint provided me with many great opportunities for growth and learning throughout the summer, and I am very happy with my decision to intern with them.

Urban planning students complete a portfolio of their work and a professional internship, ensuring they graduate job ready. At last count, four BUPD students had received job offers from their 2023 summer internship providers!