Week 0 – An Introduction to the Dynamics of Cities

Victoria C -

Hi everyone! My name is Victoria C., and I am a future class of 2025 graduate. During the past couple of years, I’ve gained a significant amount of interest in the dynamics of Urban Planning and how the city I had grown up in, Washington D.C., is able to function. I decided to apply my interest in urban planning to other metropolitan cities like Los Angeles, California; New York City, New York; and Chicago, Illinois but through a historical perspective.  

 

During my project I hope to compare each city in three different categories: dominant architectural styles or architects, public transportation, and civilians’ quality of life in each city over time. My project will also examine past and current events that transpired in each respective city and how it has affected their development over the years. 

 

I am currently completing an internship at the District Architecture Center. I discovered the DAC after completing a summer design program at Virginia Tech. Intrigued, I signed up for sketching and model building classes taught by architects at the DAC and quickly discovered all the resources available. I have been at my site placement since October and am working with my on-site advisor: Heidi Sohng. In the coming weeks I plan to shadow at Planning and Design firms in D.C. to have a closer look into how city planners think in relation to building and restoring our cities. 

 

Thank you for reading and come back next week for more updates! 

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Comments:

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    james_h
    Wow this is a really interesting topic, I also find urban planning to be super engaging, especially the public transportation aspect! It's very cool that you have already been at your internship for so long already, future city planner in the making. I am excited to follow your journey and learn more about how these mega metropolitan areas came to be the places we know today.
    March 11, 2025 at 8:27 pm - Reply
      victoria_c
      Hi James thank you for your comment!! I am also super interested in the public transportation aspect of my project as each city started to expand on their public transit systems at different times, I am also glad to see that you too find urban planning engaging!!
      March 20, 2025 at 12:03 pm - Reply
    maia_b_v
    Hi Victoria, your project sounds really fascinating! I love how you're combining urban planning with a historical perspective to analyze the evolution of major cities, it's such a unique and insightful approach. The three categories you’re focusing on will definitely paint a comprehensive picture of how these cities have developed over time, and as someone who knows very little about this topic i'm excited to learn more! It’s inspiring to see how passionate you are about city planning and the ways it shapes people’s everyday lives. I can’t wait to see how your research unfolds and what insights you uncover. Looking forward to your next update!
    March 11, 2025 at 8:36 pm - Reply
      victoria_c
      Thanks Maia! I loved your comment I'm glad you saw the goal I am trying to accomplish with the different cities and the various categories!!
      March 20, 2025 at 12:01 pm - Reply
    dorothy_s
    Hi Victoria! I'm very interested in your project. Reading over this, I realized how little I actually know about urban planning. Echoing what Maia said, I think the combination of historical perspective and major city comparison will provide a complex but detailed point of view for your research. Are the cities you mentioned above the ones you are planning on comparing, or are there others that interest you as well? I'm excited for next week's blog!
    March 12, 2025 at 9:47 am - Reply
      victoria_c
      Hi Dottie! Glad to hear about your interest in my project, the cities I mentioned are the ones I will be comparing throughout my project, I thought there was enough variety in each to give complex enough comparisons!!
      March 20, 2025 at 11:59 am - Reply
    amelia_s
    sounds super cool! can't wait to hear about it!! urban planning is such an interesting subject and I'm sure you'll learn (and teach us) a lot!
    March 12, 2025 at 12:28 pm - Reply
      victoria_c
      thanks Amelia! I am so excited to read more about this topic and can't wait to write about it in my blog posts! thank you for your comment!!
      March 20, 2025 at 12:00 pm - Reply

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