These sessions are designed for UrbanPlan volunteers who have completed an in-person or on demand UrbanPlan volunteer training. If you have not yet completed a volunteer training, please follow this link to get started. 

Included Courses

Financial Model Skill-Strengthening Session

This 60-minute skill-strengthening session is designed to empower you with tools and techniques specific to the UrbanPlan virtual financial model. You will learn key terms, computer tips, and gain an understanding of this critical tool that you can use to help challenge and guide participants. The Instructor will cover both the Excel financial model and the workshop financial model section of the online site plan builder.  

Socratic Questioning Skill-Strengthening Session

This 60-minute skill-strengthening session is designed to empower you with tools and techniques in the Socratic method of questioning. You will practice example questioning, learn the methodology behind this practice, and gain experience that you can use to help empower participants. 

Site Plan Builder Skill-Strengthening Session

This 90-minute skill-strengthening session is designed to empower you with tools and techniques specific to the UrbanPlan virtual Site Plan Builder. You will learn how to create, design, and modify site plans to increase comfort and ease with the tool that you can use to help advise participants. 

These skill-strengthening sessions provide a deep dive into frequently used tools for UrbanPlan volunteers. The information provided in these sessions is designed to supplement prior trainings to increase confidence and comfort with volunteering. You are not required to fully understand the nuances and intricacies of these tools prior to volunteering at an UrbanPlan workshop. Teachers, professors, and/or workshop instructors will be on hand to answer technical questions related directly to the exercise. Your role is to challenge program participants to think critically, understand their assumptions, see different points of view, and test various tradeoffs. We encourage you to reach out to urbanplan@uli.org with any questions. 

These sessions includes three optional 60-90 minute live Zoom sessions with the instructors. You are encouraged to attend sessions on skills you are interested in mastering or learning more about, and are not required to attend all sessions. Live sessions are offered frequently, and the course will be updated regularly to reflect the soonest upcoming session. The live sessions will be held on Zoom. 

If you have any questions about becoming an UrbanPlan volunteer or getting UrbanPlan into your school, please reach out to urbanplan@uli.org.

Brooks Powell

Senior Associate, Business Development Leader
DLR Group

Brooks Powell is a Senior Associate and Business Development Leader for DLR Group, a global integrated design firm of more than 1,300 professionals across 30 offices worldwide. Brooks leads strategic planning and relationship building for Texas’ bourgeoning workplace sector, including build-to-suit headquarters, commercial office buildings, and tenant interiors. Active with ULI’s UrbanPlan program since 2018, Brooks serves in a leadership capacity within ULI Dallas-Fort Worth’s Education Committee, which spearheads UrbanPlan in the Classroom and UrbanPlan for Communities, as well as ULI’s Foundations of Real Estate (FoRE) program. He has adjudicated high school student teams in each of the last three international UrbanPlan summer competitions, and he has facilitated UrbanPlan programs for ULI Atlanta, ULI Boston/New England, ULI Louisiana, ULI Minnesota, ULI Montana, ULI New Mexico, and ULI San Francisco. Brooks serves in multiple other roles within ULI, including the ULI DFW District Council Advisory Board, Local Product Council Steering Committee (co-chair), Programs Committee, and Public-Private Partnership Local Product Council. He is also a graduate and past chair of the ULI Center for Leadership Program.