The Fund for the City of New York has named two students from the SoA’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE) as part of its 2025–2026 class of Community Planning Fellows. Alima Temirbek, an M.S. candidate in Urban Placemaking and Management (UPM), and Dhruvin Thakkar, an M.S. candidate in Sustainable Environmental Systems (SES), are among 20 second-year graduate students chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants across several area schools.
Now in its 13th year, the Community Planning Fellowship Program was established to strengthen the capacity of New York City community boards while cultivating the next generation of urban planning professionals. Fellows are placed with NYC community boards, where they gain hands-on experience with real-world planning challenges in areas such as transportation, zoning, and land use; and assist board members and staff in addressing quality-of-life issues that matter to local communities.
Temirbek is placed with the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, where her research focuses on residential parking systems. “Ask New Yorkers to name the city’s three biggest challenges, and you will hear the same refrain: real estate, parking, and trash,” she said. “I learned that there is no such thing as ‘free’ parking. Curb space is policy, and priced parking is a strategic tool for equitable curb management, sustainable transportation, and people-centered streets.”
Thakkar is placed with Manhattan Community Board 5, where he is examining the quality, accessibility, and usability of open spaces across neighborhoods, with a particular focus on Midtown areas governed by MSMX zoning. “In a city built vertically, public green space must be intentional, multifunctional, and accessible,” he said. “I am exploring how planning regulations, infrastructure, and urban form influence who can access green space and how it is experienced.” His work aims to produce design-based recommendations for integrating greening interventions into MSMX zones to advance environmental resilience, equity, and community well-being.