Distinguished Planner Award & Lecture Series
The MURP Alumni Association's Distinguished Award and Lecture was established by the University of Colorado Denver’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association (MURPAA) in 2014. This award recognizes notable individuals who have made significant contributions to urban planning and have brought honor to the University as a graduate of the program or through service to the program.
2024 Distinguished Planner Award and Lecture
Gil McNeish
MURPAA is proud to honor Gil McNeish as this year's MURP Distinguished Planner awardee and to celebrate Gil's 50-year tenure teaching Urban Planning Law to all MURP students since the program was established.
Join us Thursday, April 11 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. for the award ceremony and a presentation by our honoree, Gil McNeish.
The 2024 MURPAA Distinguished Planner Award and Lecture will be held in the Tivoli Turnhalle event space located on the first level of the Tivoli Building on the Auraria Campus. Appetizers and beverages will be available.
Space is limited. So please register to attend.
Register Here to Attend
2023
MURPAA Distinguished Planner Award
Kimball Crangle (MURP 2003)
Colorado Market President, Gorman & Company
March 28, 2023
2020
Planning in the Built Environment and Beyond: The Importance of Relationships
Kevin Patterson (MURP, MPA 1997)
CEO, Connect for Health Colorado
February 6, 2020
2018
Coding for Resilience: Learning from the Vernacular
Korkut Onaran, PhD
Assistant Professor Adjunct
University of Colorado Denver
April 17, 2018
2015
Retrofitting Suburbia: A Conversation with Alex Schafran
Alex Schafran, PhD
Lecturer in Geography
University of Leeds, UK
September 3, 2015
2014
Making Cities Work: Planning and Managing Land Use in India
David Dowall, PhD
City and Regional Planning Professor Emeritus
University of California Berkeley
November
3, 2014
The Distinguished Scholar Lecturer and Awardee is selected annually by the MURPAA Board of Directors in consultation with faculty from CU Denver’s Urban and Regional Planning Department. DLA recipients must be graduates of the CU Denver MURP program or have significant ties to the program through teaching or service. Recipients should have demonstrated professional leadership in the field, worked on innovative projects, implemented novel and forward-thinking planning programs, or otherwise made significant contributions to the field of urban planning through teaching, research, or practice. Typically, we will invite alumni who are at least five years past their degree, though this may vary based on their accomplishments and contributions to the field of urban planning.
Do you know someone you think would make a great Distinguished Scholar? Nominate them using this link!
MURP Connect
MURP Connect was developed during COVID-19 to bring together alumni and students in a virtual setting to learn about the different careers a planning degree has to offer. These are intimate networking sessions throughout the academic year so students can build their planning networks and learn from professional planners about real-world projects and skills required to jump-start a planning career.
Capstone Conversations
The MURP Alumni Association hosts its Annual Capstone Conversations event each Spring, bringing together second-year MURP students who are working on their Capstone projects with MURP Alumni and other planning professionals for an afternoon of coffee, cookies, and conversations. Students share their Capstone projects with alumni, who serve as consultants and mentors, offering students "real world" advice.
Capstone Celebration
Each Spring, the MURP Alumni Association teams up with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and APA Colorado to host a celebration and networking reception to honor recent graduates who have completed their Capstone projects. This event gives alumni the opportunity to engage with graduating planning students and celebrate the future of planning. Capstone posters are displayed and students are on hand to answer any questions about their projects. The event features a networking reception with food and beverages, as well as time for family and friends to view the projects.