Valerie Quarles
Senior City Planner, City of Saint Paul Planning & Economic Development Office
URBANPLAN COMMITTEE CHAIR
UrbanPlan
The Mission
UrbanPlan’s mission is to create a sophisticated level of discourse among local stakeholders involved in land use decisions through the education of tomorrow’s voters, neighbors, community leaders, public officials, and land use professionals so—together—we can create better communities.
What Is UrbanPlan?
UrbanPlan is a realistic, engaging exercise in which participants—high school students, university students, or public officials—learn the fundamental forces that affect development in our communities. Participants experience challenging issues, private and public sector roles, complex trade-offs, and fundamental economics in play when proposing realistic land use solutions to vexing growth challenges.
New Volunteer Interest Form & Training
UrbanPlan Volunteer TrainingVolunteer with UrbanPlan in Minnesota
ULI Minnesota members can volunteer as facilitators or city council reviewers in a classroom-based, web-supported program in which high school students learn the roles, issues, trade-offs, and economics relative to urban development.
Please follow the Volunteer Interest Form to become an UrbanPlan volunteer. The training is fully online/on demand and is said to take 60-90 mins to complete. Once you complete the training, you are added to our ULI Minnesota UrbanPlan volunteer roster. We will reach out throughout the year with a link to sign up to fill available volunteer slots.
Please email Rachel Keenan at [email protected] if you have questions about becoming a trained UrbanPlan volunteer!
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities:
Roseville Area High School
1/13/2026, 9:15AM-10:30AM
1/13/2026, 10:30AM-11:45AM
1/16/2026, 9:15AM-10:30AM
1/16/2026, 10:30AM-11:45AM
1/23/2026, 8:30AM-10:15AM
1/23/2026, 11:00AM-12:45PM
Minneapolis Public Schools, Office of Black Student Achievement Student 1-Day Workshop
SAVE THE DATE: Sat. 4/18/2026
Mounds View High School
SAVE THE DATE: TBD May & June 2026
If you are a trained UrbanPlan volunteer and would like to sign up for our upcoming opportunities, please email Rachel Keenan at [email protected] to request the link to sign up for a volunteer slot!
Our ULI Minnesota UrbanPlan Steering Committee:
Tamia McLaughlin
Connor Schaefer
Senior Planner, Washington County
Danielle Sindelar
Housing Project Manager, City of Saint Paul Planning & Economic Development Office
Grace Sweeney
Development Analyst, Broadway Street Development
Nolan Wall
Planning/Community Development Director, City of Vadnais Heights
Thank you to The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation, First Bank & Trust, and Broadway Street Development for their generous support of UrbanPlan in Minnesota!
UrbanPlan by the Numbers
| School or Community | Students |
| St. Paul Central (2016-2020) | 305 |
| Roseville Area High School (since 2006) | 823 |
| School of Environmental Studies (2017-2019, 2022-2023) | 495 |
| Mounds View High School (since 2019) | 452 |
| Youthprise, Workshop (2024) | 12 |
| City of Edina, Public Officials Workshop (2017) | 55 |
| City of Burnsville, Public Officials Workshop (2021) | 22 |
| City of Rosemount, Public Officials Workshop (April 2022) | 20 |
| Total: | 2184 |