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Isaiah Fleming-Klink
MSc Housing and City Planning
United States
What attracted you to UCL?
As someone who studies housing, both the Bartlett and London seemed like the best places to be to not only learn inside the classroom, but also observe and apply what I learn in the classroom to “real life.”
What aspects of your studies do you enjoy the most?
I love my MSc cohort and learning from them. Many of them are mid-career folks who have lots of experience – both professionally but also just in life – that is fantastic to learn from. I also really love all the events, talks, walking tours, etc. that are offered via the Bartlett.
What makes you most proud to be a UCL student?
My affiliation with the Bartlett – it seems like one of the best places in the world to be studying and researching the built environment, and a place where boundaries are being pushed.
Describe your time at UCL in three words.
Experiential, fast-paced, varied.
What are some of the most interesting things you have done, seen, or got involved with while at UCL?
The main thing I’ve gotten involved with is something the Bartlett participates in called Just Space. Just Space is a network of community organisations across London, many of them working on planning and community-based built environment issues on the local level. I personally am working in a group led by Professor Michael Edwards, which is trying to assist an organisation called Thames Life in Barking / Barking Riverside reopen Ripple Nature Reserve and involves local residents in planning issues. This opportunity has been a deeply enriching way for me to learn about a new part of London for me and some of the issues most pertinent to it.
In what way has studying in London enriched your studies?
London is one of the most unique, exciting, and challenging places to study housing and planning issues of probably most cities in the world. It has been really enriching and enjoyable to supplement what I’m learning in the classroom with case studies, tours, and volunteering opportunities in London.
What advice would you give to a student considering UCL?
Try to think concretely about the ways London would be of benefit to you, and also about what you’d want your life to look like in London outside of UCL (where do you want to live, what do you want to do, etc. and how can you make these things happen?).
What are your future ambitions and how do you think that being a UCL student will help you get there?
I want to continue working in housing policy, which is what I did in New York prior to coming to the UK. I feel the Bartlett is giving me one of the best educations for doing so, and London is a wonderful laboratory for diving deeper into the key issues, questions, and policy ideas.