MSU graduate Mark Jones ('12) joins SEMCOG as a regional planner
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EmailMark Jonesis leaving the friendly confines of East Lansing for the big city as he was hired as a regional planner by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) this summer.
By: Pardeep Toor
Mark Jones is leaving the friendly confines of East Lansing for the big city as he was hired as a regional planner by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) this summer.
Jones graduated with a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University (MSU) in 2012 with the intent of becoming a regional planner.
"I want to be a planner on a regional scale, so I was really happy to get the position at SEMCOG," Jones said. "They cover seven counties and have over 160 members."
The SEMCOG is a regional partnership that supports local planning issues involving transportation, housing, land use and water and air quality. It serves Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties.
While at MSU, Jones focused his research on non-motorized transportation for bicyclists and pedestrians.
"I wanted to know what influenced people to ride their bikes or walk, that way if the built environment was encouraging this type of transportation, maybe more people would do it," Jones said.
Jones, a 2004 Blissfield High School graduate out of Lenawee County, was double major in Public Policy and Social Psychology as an undergraduate at Western Michigan University. After graduating, Jones had an opportunity to work on the Master Plan for the City of Kalamazoo, while working with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. While contributing to the master plan, he felt drawn to study urban planning.
"I really enjoyed learning about the inner workings of a city and how economic development, transportation, community development and the environment were all connected," Jones said. "This inspired me to apply to graduate school in the field."
For the past two+ years, Jones has been working at the MSU Land Policy Institute where he contributed to the MIplace Partnership’s Placemaking Curriculum, addressed watershed issues in Shiawassee and Genesee counties and applied his expertise in Geographic Information Systems to a variety of other planning projects.
Jones is moving to Detroit this summer where he blissfully acknowledges that he will be a mile from work and only 1.5 miles from Comerica Park.
"I can't wait to walk to Tigers games," Jones said.
Other Accomplishments:
- Dean's List: 4 semesters at Michigan State University;
- Howard Wolpe Scholarship for Academic Excellence in Political Science at Western Michigan University;
- Tim Hernandez Scholarship for Academic Excellence in Urban Planning at Michigan State University; and
- Michigan Association of Planners Student Scholarship in 2010.
