Capstone Project Proposal Draft

Name of student: Max Soubbotine

Date: October 26
Teacher: Ms. Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is Project
Proposed title for my project: Understanding urban planning’s role in improving society

What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that
you cannot just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.
My inquiry question is:

How can changes to city design and transportation infrastructure contribute positively to
quality of life, environmental sustainability, and social equity in Canada?

Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are
choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect
to your passion(s), purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?

I have been very passionate about city planning for a long time and frequently watch YouTube
videos about this topic in my free time. I really enjoy learning about it and could see myself
working in this field in the future, so I want to take this opportunity to expand my knowledge on
this topic and show my interest in it.

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this

area of inquiry?

As stated previously, I enjoy watching YouTube videos about this topic and I think I already
have a good understanding of many key urban planning ideas and theories. I am passionate
about physical and human geography as well, and believe I am knowledgeable in many
aspects of geography that would be relevant to urban planning, including applicable statistics.

Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What
connections does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

I hope to get a Bachelor of Business Administration/Commerce, or potentially a degree related

to urban planning as a backup such as Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Human Geography or
Urban Studies. I hope to work in either business or urban planning, or hopefully to get
experience working in both fields. A business degree would allow me to work in both so I
would prefer to get that however. This Capstone will let me look into my potential career path
in urban planning in greater depth and help me decide if it is really what I want to do.

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Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core
competencies will be connected with your project? Outline and explain the connections.

Personal Awareness and Responsibility

Strengths

I can set goals, regulate my emotions and persevere in difficult situations.

Although I would say I am emotionally stable and strong overall, I struggle to cope with
intense stress and anxiety sometimes. However, I have become much better at dealing with
moments when I am not fully relaxed through experience and practice over time. For example,
sometimes I get stressed out while at work, especially when I have a lot going on outside of
work, but I know that I must overcome this stress and have learned to put on a smile and greet
the next customer or complete whatever task I am assigned while trying to not let stress and
anxiety severely affect me. Being anxious about something I can’t deal with at the moment is
pointless, and I think it is important to be able to understand this to stay calm and be able to
focus on the current task at hand.

I am learning to take care of myself.

Over the past couple years, I have made huge progress in learning how to take care of myself. I
have noticed significant improvements in how I feel and my health because of this. One of the
things I started doing at the beginning of grade 11 is waking up earlier, taking a shower and
eating breakfast every morning before school, which has made me feel much more relaxed and
energized for the day. I also started drinking more water, eating healthier, and working out, all
of which have resulted in improved physical health. In addition to the physical benefits, the
simple action of taking care of myself makes me feel more confident and calmer, knowing that
I am helping better myself.

Weakness

I can express my needs and seek help when needed.

Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what I need to help me succeed. In grade 11, my IB
math course was very challenging for me, and I wasn’t getting very good marks, but I refused
to get help. My mom kept offering to get a tutor for me and every time I would just say that I
can learn math by myself and just need to put more time into practicing – I never really did
until final exams came up. In the end I got a decent mark for math because of all the work I put
in just before the exams, but I definitely do not want to repeat this again. This year I have
bought access to a website that specializes in preparation and practice for IB math and so far,
have been using it to study for math, which I am proud of.

Social Responsibility

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Strengths

I am aware of my community and environment and work independently and collaboratively for
the benefit of others.

Whether I am at work, school, or just in my community, I try my best to help others. When I
am at work it is my main job to ensure customers have the smoothest and most reliable
experience at the store. An example of this is anytime a customer asks me for assistance, I will
do my best to figure out how to best help them. I will lead them to the correct shelf if looking
for a specific product or consult a manager for any inquires, as long as I am not occupied with
completing a higher priority task.

I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships.

I believe having positive relationships with other people is a key component of being happy
and successful. I surround myself with people that I enjoy being around and try to avoid
spending much time or establishing relationships with people that may not contribute
positively to my life. However, I do my best to get along with everyone and avoid any
unnecessary conflicts because that makes life so much easier and simpler.

Weakness

I value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for others, and act ethically in all my
interactions, including online.

I believe that diversity and human rights are a crucial part of the world we live in and should be
defended by the government and by other members of society. Though I always try to act as
ethically as possible, I think that I am too passive when it comes to taking action to contribute
to social causes. I should educate myself more about these causes and try to help out when I
notice there may be issues.

Critical Thinking

Strengths

I can analyze and critique my work and my learning.

I often try to look back at the work I have completed or learning that I have done and figure out
what I could have improved or done differently. For example, when I look back at my overall
schoolwork habits during eleventh grade, I realize that I was being inefficient and not
prioritizing my learning as much as I could have, something I am working very hard at
improving this year – successfully so far.

I can analyze and make defensible judgements, draw conclusions and consider a variety of
perspectives.

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Having the scope to acknowledge and understand different perspectives is key to making well
informed judgements and conclusions. I am open to hearing new ideas and try not to judge
them, as I understand that ideas and opinions are formed by people’s unique experiences. I
used to get into arguments with my family over political topics when politics and social issues
first really spiked my interest in 2020. It made me really upset at times to see my family
disagree with so many things that I believed in but have since learned so much new
information and have developed a much deeper understanding of different views and why these
views might be held by people. By allowing myself to analyze diverging views and
comprehend them I have become more neutral and well-rounded in my views while still
maintaining my personal perspectives, judgements, and conclusions. I also realized the
importance of being able to disagree with your family but be able to get along and have
constructive, educated, and calm discussions.

Weakness

I can assess my progress.

I struggle to evaluate my progress across different areas sometimes and find that I am often
overconfident, especially in my ability to do many tasks in a short amount of time. Though I
have made immense progress in my educational motivation and time management throughout
grade eleven and now in grade twelve, I sometimes face difficulty with figuring out how much
I have really progressed and to not underestimate the challenges I may face and lack proper
planning for. It’s important to track progress in whatever is being accomplished because
progress does not just stay and keep progressing on its own but rather needs to be upheld and
pushed to progress further, therefore I must work hard to ensure I don’t lose progress, in
whatever I am trying to achieve.

Creative Thinking

Strengths

I can persevere and understand that failure can be productive.

I deal with anxiety and OCD thoughts sometimes which can prove to be challenging, but in the
end, I always persevere and get through the struggles. Sometimes I am feeling mentally relaxed
but then start getting anxiety and other thoughts, letting them control my mind and start to feel
so stressed out because I feel that I failed and allowed myself to reach this point. I have learned
to understand that it is okay to fail and putting energy into improving for next time and calming
myself down in the moment rather than feeling bad about failing is more productive.

I can take my ideas, evaluate, develop, and refine them and make something productive out of
them.

I am getting better at shaping my ideas and turning them into reality. In English, I have

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improved my ability to organize my ideas prior to starting an in class write so I will be able to
focus more on presenting these ideas rather than having to come up with them as I write at the
risk of writing an unorganized essay. I also sometimes struggled with my ability to formulate
ideas into words but now I have had more practice and have an easier time with this.

Weakness

I can create new and unique ideas that may provide new perspectives that influence how people
think about topics.

I feel that I do not think outside of the box as often as I should, which would help me come up
with more unique and possibly influential ideas. While I have become better at coming up with
original ideas but often just decide not to put in the effort into thinking of something new and
instead stick with established ideas. For my Capstone project, I am hoping to come up with
something authentic and interesting so that it will be an accurate portrayal of my strengths and
interests.

Communication

Strengths

I can reflect on the processes of learning and share what I have learned.

I like going back to look at work that I previously completed to review information and reflect
on the success of my learning process. A lot of times I can recognize how I could have
improved the process that I used to learn, by being more efficient with my time for example. I
like sharing information that I find interesting with my family after I learn it in class, which
also helps me retain and understand the information better.

I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussion and debate, consider different
perspectives, and build consensus.

It is important to understand differing perspectives while listening to others and when adding
input to a discussion in order to attempt to establish an educated consensus. When I am having
a conversation or listening to other people’s ideas, I really like hearing new thoughts that may
challenge what I think and can change my own perspectives. When I am trying to convince
someone of something or simply am expressing a new idea or thought to them, I try to consider
their perspective and why they may have this view so I can present my idea in a way that will
be more appealing to them.

Weakness

I can work with other students to plan, inquire, and solve problems.

I can collaborate well with other students in school to work on assignments and get things done

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in an efficient and organized manner. I like brainstorming with other people so I can hear their
ideas and share my own so that we can all expand our thinking process, but sometimes I
struggle with some aspects of working with others. At the beginning of almost every math
class we are arranged into small groups to do an “investigation”, where we must work together
to understand an unfamiliar math concept or problem related to the day’s math lesson, putting
our critical thinking to the test. However, I find myself not contributing much to these activities
sometimes because I may not want to say something incorrect or just don’t think I’ll be able to
contribute something meaningful and feel awkward. I think it is important that I try to be a
bigger part of these regardless, for my group’s and my educational benefit, which so far, I have
been doing this year to a greater extent than last year.

Personal and Cultural Identity

Strengths

I understand that culture is a broad concept that includes things like my geographic region,
nationality, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, language, and religion.

Culture is such a major part of human identity and is defined by so many aspects of one’s life
and history. I show my understanding of this through my tolerance and acceptance of people
from a diverse range of backgrounds that shape who they are. Culture brings people together,
both from similarities and differences. For example, my family, including me speaks English
and Russian, allowing me to make cultural connections with other people that speak Russian or
have ties to my culture. However, differences in cultures can also bring people together when
communicating and learning more about each other’s culture and how it ties into their identity.

I understand what is important to me.

I really value my physical and mental health, relationships, and education/career, and try my
best to balance these values. I always ensure I have enough time for myself to relax and take
care of myself, while also needing to go to school, work and complete schoolwork at home. I
also make sure to balance my social life so that I can have fun and take a break from other
tasks. When I have a lot of schoolwork to do, I recognize the importance of this and can make
changes to my routine and schedule to prioritize this, like asking to leave work early or get the
day off if absolutely necessary.

Weakness

I understand how to use my strengths and abilities to my advantage, and I can explain how I
use them to contribute to my community.

In general, I know what my strengths and weaknesses are, but I do not spend enough time
thinking how I can improve them and figure out how I can maximize their benefit to me. I
know that one of my strengths is putting in a lot of effort into my schoolwork and one of my
biggest weaknesses is time management. Knowing this, I should plan to give myself more time

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 to do my work and start assignments earlier. The result should be me getting more assignments
completed on time, while being able to spend more time putting in effort and hopefully further
increasing my marks and learning potential.

Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to
present your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once
completed. You may use a combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
o Website
o imovie presentation
o YouTube channel

Video series on YouTube using editing software on my laptop.

Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what
will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced
at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your
proposal.

I want to create a video series explaining different elements of urban planning. Each video will
focus on a certain topic, such as improving public transportation, increasing road safety, and
encouraging a more sustainable way of life. I want to include pictures and videos from Google
and YouTube to make my videos more engaging to watch by providing visuals for my
explanations. I may decide to record myself talking for the videos or I might just add text and
have subtle music playing in the background like many other informative videos. Every video
will prove how the urban planning examples and practices discussed can contribute positively
to quality of life, sustainability, and equity. I will also discuss how changes could potentially be
made in our community and across Canada as a whole. I would additionally like to focus on
examples in the Metro Vancouver area of both good and bad urban planning decisions and
provide reasoning as to why I believe so. My goal is to make at least 5 videos, each around 10
or more minutes in length for my final product. These videos will also all tie into the central
idea of the importance of urban planning to improving the society we live in. I aim to make
each video clear and concise, but want to add some creative flair to them by creating cool but
simple animations and adding other details. I want to include a lot of information in the videos
but also not overload them with information by keeping a steady pace of the flow of
information and allowing the capacity for people to absorb and reflect.

I will research specific examples of great urban planning practices done around the world to
highlight the improvements that can be made locally. I will also need to research key statistics
that can provide data backed evidence, for example showing the correlation between good
urban planning and lower traffic-related fatalities. Researching historic reasoning for certain
urban planning decisions that affect modern day society could provide useful insight as to why
some decisions have been made in the past and have yet to be updated. Understanding the
importance of locational context and relevance for different urban planning and especially
transportation decisions is very important to determining the best course of action. I will need
to research the benefits and consequences of certain decisions depending on geographic
factors such as population numbers and density, as well as physical limitations.

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 I hope that my video series will provide education regarding how central urban planning is in
our fight against climate change, and for improvements in general quality of life and equity. I
also hope it will show people the specific changes that can be made to improve so many
aspects of our society.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and

skills you will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to
access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail
your plans.

The main resource I need is my laptop, as well as video editing software such as iMovie. I will
need to learn some basic features and tricks to improve my video editing to produce a more
artistic and interesting product. I will use Google to find relevant pictures and videos as well to
add visuals to my explanations.

Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will

you need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you?
What is your plan to access the mentorship/community connections necessary for this
project?

I will likely need to contact an urban planner or someone who works in a related field to
understand real world applications of planning practices and ask questions I will need to have
answered.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee
that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?

I am going on a trip during winter break, and the holiday season will be a busy time for me.
Therefore I will need to ensure I plan out my time well to have enough time to create a
meaningful Capstone.

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about
your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.

References:

Attach a REFERENCE LIST. Your list should be written using correct APA formatting.
An example is provided on page 21 of your Capstone booklet.

References

Airas, A., & Hall, P. V. (2019). Reinventing Urban Waterfronts Beyond the Urban Core:

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 Public Space and Redevelopment in Squamish and the Vancouver Region. Canadian
Journal of Urban Research, 28(1), 1–18. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26757400

Bruntlett, M., & Bruntlett, C. (2018). Building the Cycling City : The Dutch Blueprint for
Urban Vitality. Island Press.

Cervero, R., Guerra, E., & Al, S. (2017). Beyond Mobility : Planning Cities for People and
Places. Island Press.

Duranton, G., & Puga, D. (2020). The Economics of Urban Density. The Journal of Economic
Perspectives, 34(3), 3–26. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26923539

Kimble, M. (2021). The End of the Highway. Nation, 313(1), 14–21.

Logan, K. (2021). Street Smarts. Architectural Record, 209(3), 100–104.

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