I am looking forward to the Sheffield trip as I think it will be a very rewarding experience and increase my knowledge base immensely. The readings from our first assessment were very diverse and covered many aspects of historical and modern life and I am really interested in the politics of Sheffield and how it has shaped the city as it is today. The radical nature of politics and the strong unionism within the city has created a unique culture centred on the working class. Many of the bands that I have listened to religiously growing up such as Pulp, The Arctic Monkeys and The Human League trace their roots back to Sheffield and the working class struggle is evident in the lyrics of their music. This music shaped my identity and informed much of my early adulthood. I am also looking forward to visiting the Park Hill Estate after reading the article by Matthew Hollows. The estate is an excellent example of  mid-20^th century urban planning and the interplay between governance and planning. I can’t wait to see it in its current form. Port Sunlight will be very interesting as we learned so much about these cities in intro to planning. All of the trips during the study tour relate very well to urban planning and exploring how industrialisation and deindustrialisation has impacted on England. I have travelled quite extensively but have never spent any time in the UK so I can’t wait to see the countryside and explore the cities. I think this will be the trip of a lifetime!!!
- Gina Triolo (Bachelor of Urban, Rural and Environmental Planning)