Balancing Growth and Preservation: Leah Furey Bruder, MCRP '06 on Community-Centered Urban Planning

This week on EJB Talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro speaks with Bloustein School alumna and Bloustein Advisory Board member, Leah Furey Bruder, MCRP '06 about her journey into urban planning and her experiences working in municipal and redevelopment planning. Leah explains how her background in international studies shifted to local planning after working on community development in Camden, NJ. She discusses her work in Cherry Hill, her time as an in-house municipal planner in Evesham Township, and her decision to start her own firm to focus on impactful projects. She highlights two key projects: the redevelopment of aging shopping centers into vibrant mixed-use spaces, and the successful opposition to a large-scale development that threatened New Jersey's agricultural land. She emphasizes the complexity of planning, balancing economic, environmental, and housing needs, and the importance of working with community stakeholders. She concludes by advising students to gain diverse experience, acknowledge their knowledge gaps, and navigate the complexities of competing interests in planning.