ACADEMIC + NONPROFIT
Our work within the community.
Curriculum Development
In an effort to introduce children to the concepts of place and the factors that influence place, firm principal, Melissa Hege, was selected to create a neighborhood and redevelopment focused planning curriculum for middle school students at the Cushman School. Students learned basic drafting skills, evaluated the components of neighborhood, compared different neighborhoods in Miami and presented their findings to the Head of School.
Non Profit Work
As a board member and Secretary for the MiMo Biscayne Association, firm principal, Melissa Hege developed a strategy for revitalizing Biscayne Boulevard in the historic district.
She was a member of the Underline Health Committee and served as the liaison between this committee and the Design Advisory Committee (DAC). In this capacity she advised the DAC on incorporating health initiatives into their work.
As an Executive Board member of the Gold Coast Section of the American Planning Association, Melissa initiated a health and built environment theme for the 2013 Gold Coast APA event series which included a pop up park concept modeled after New York City’s Play Street program. In the same capacity, she partnered with AIA Miami to bring the author’s of NYC’s Active Design Guidelines to Miami to present the concept and its applicability to Miami.
Melissa Hege was a high school mentor with Take Stock in Children, a program which provides a 4-year Florida Prepaid account for economically disadvantaged students. It has been one of the most gratifying experiences of her life.
Academic Engagements
Middle School Elective Teacher, City Planning, The Cushman School, 2013
Adjunct Professor, “Real Urbanism”. Florida Atlantic University, 2011
Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center
Affiliate Researcher , 2011-2012
Selected Lectures
FL APA Annual Conference 2014 “Suburbs to Cities and Why We're Still Searching for that Third Place”
FL APA Annual Conference 2014
“The Planner's New Toolbox: New Technologies for Outreach, Graphic Communication & Design”
FL APA Annual Conference 2012. “Reversing the Trend with Form Based Codes Best Practices for Administration & Implementation”
FL APA Annual Conference 2011. “The Redevelopment Of Downtown West Palm Beach: 20 Years Of Planning And Lessons Learned”
FL APA Annual Conference 2009. “A Planner’s Recovery Toolkit”
FL APA Annual Conference 2008. “Capacity Drive Codes vs Form Based Codes - a New Vision for West Palm Beach”