Graduate school is interesting. It is definitely different from undergrad, and offers a unique opportunity to re-enter into an academic environment with a greater understanding of what is necessary for success. After almost two years, I have picked up and learned from life-hacking tips that I hope will benefit you through grad school.

1. Always ask a question at a panel or presentation.

I learned this during my first full-time job after graduation from the Vice-President of Advocacy and Outreach, whom did much to mentor me professionally. She told me to always ask a (thoughtful) question, and when doing so, to state your name and organization. This way you have just given a brief introduction to who you are to the room, and a window into your thoughtfulness on the topic. Also, it gets the attention of important people in the room. In my time at graduate school, I have gotten one internship and one research opportunity by asking a question during an event, and following up afterwards.

2. Offer to volunteer.

Especially if, like me, you are entering a field that was different from your undergraduate or your professional experience, it is necessary to start becoming involved in the professional community you wish to pursue. Volunteering is underrated, as people seem to understate the incredible networking experience it brings, benefit to the community, and being first in line for any internships, consulting services, or employment opportunities. Volunteering isn’t just for non-profits either, it could also be to help with research and

3. Utilize your status as a student to gain internships and access.

In my undergraduate, I tried to distance my qualifications away from being a student or recent graduate, thinking that this is the right way to gain experience. It was not until being in grad school did I realize being a student offers a near-universal skeleton key to getting experience in the field. Organizations are much more likely to offer internships or invite you to meetings if you are a student, rather than an unemployed professional. You will only be a student for a short while, so maximize this.

4. Help your friends out with their professional needs.

Help your friends ferociously. There are many reasons. First, you will all become very intimate after seeing each other for two years. Second, these are your professional cohorts. Third, it’s just a good practice. It’s necessary to see you and your classmates as support systems rather than competition, and more likely than not, many of them will become good friends. You will never get as far competing against each other as you will working with each other.

5. Apply for scholarships and fellowships.

I’ve applied for and won various scholarships and a fellowship while I was in grad school; however, I am not the only qualified, or even the most qualified person I know. However, I do take the time to apply, and it just makes sense to do so. If it is a $1,000 scholarship, and you spend 10 hours on it, then you can potentially be making $100. While you may not always win the scholarship, it doesn’t hurt to try, and the hourly investment is usually worth the opportunity.

6. Technical skills do help, and some of your soft skills are actually valuable technical skills.

In my field, urban planning and design, knowing Adobe Creative Suite, ArcGIS, SketchUp, Mircosoft Excel, and other “technical” skills will definitely get your foot in the door with opportunities, whether or not those skills are extensively used or not. However, technical skills are not always computer skills. Some people are adept at community outreach, meeting facilitation, or project management. Others are great writers, researchers, or public speakers. It is helpful and advisable to give yourself the appropriate level of “technical” computer skills for your field, but the other highly sought-after skills may be elevated to a greater level of importance through in-depth experience and creative highlighting.

7. Understand that graduate school is still only one aspect of your life.

The rest of your life continues to happen while you are in graduate school. Take it seriously, but also ground yourself in knowing that graduate school still needs to be balanced with other aspects competing for the same time: family, friends, work, hobbies, health, etc. Keeping this in mind will help you not over-dramaticize the work in grad school and keep you level headed and prepared in case other life factors require more of your energy and attention.

8. Keep your word.

Something to follow both in graduate school and life. Do keep your word, or at least do your best to. Deliver what you promise and build a reputation and standard of practicing what you preach.

I would like to preface that I am still in my own process of gaining experience and seeking opportunities to practice what I’ve learned. I also wrote this as a full-time student who has been sporadically employed part time throughout. However, the aim of this is the hope that others may take what was learned before and use it to better maximize their short time in graduate school. My graduate school journey is rounding out this month, and I believe this is an appropriate time to share what i’ve learned in these quick two years.

New developments in store. Stay posted.

Cities often put a strong focus on bringing in development that would increase the economic and fiscal health of their municipality. Within Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, as the economy begins to recover, corporate campuses and residential or office skyscrapers are slated for development in the near future. Apple and Facebook are building, and San Jose and San Francisco will see new high-rises in the near future. Often, these are prized acquisitions of cities, with increased revenues and bragging rights to cities that are able to secure these anchor developments. There is often competition between cities to secure these tenants within their municipal boundaries, and how they interface with the present urban rhythm is put as a secondary concern.

I often think about these types of all-inclusive campuses that many tech companies in the Bay Area desire, campuses with a plethora of dining choices, places to meet daily errands such as laundry and gyms, and even entertainment options such as sports fields and movie theaters. The aim of these developments is to keep the employees on campus for as long as possible and interacting with each other, therefore improving creativity and productivity. These developments often create an artificial urban environment within their campus, and as a result, these tenants take up large lots, are often built to be insular, and create an urban black hole within the community.

Some of these developments work. Santana Row has been a successful created urban environment. However, as the workforce aims to live and work in “authentic” urban environments, companies are putting into question traditional thought of how an office or campus should be. The current desired workforce by many tech companies favor living in dense urban environments with all the urban amenities and cultural articulation that comes with it. There is spontaneous creativity, urban grit, and an association with a larger urban identity that is appealing to many young and talented professionals. The human resources department is now increasingly seen on the discussion table of company real estate decisions, aiming to locate the company in places where their talent lives. However, some of the most favored developments are still concrete islands, regardless of where they are located, providing all the urban amenities in house.

This scenario bring into light three questions:

1. Is chasing these trophy developments the appropriate method of economic development?
2. Should cities be planning for increasing the ingredients of attraction, rather than enticing developments through deals?
3. Should the strategy for bringing in these developments be switched to the attraction of the workforce rather than the attraction of the business?

Some developers have recognized the need to create the incubating x-factor of a city that would allow developments and cities to be in a position to choose which businesses and tenants fit their urban culture. In a forum by SPUR on the Employers and Urban Amenities in San Francisco and the Bay Area, the 5M incubator redevelopment project has made waves in its innovative process of being selective in the types of tenants to promote innovation of entrepreneurism and art within and around the development. Attracting “culture creators” is key in developing a premium and selecting the tenants that will aid in fostering the urban fabric and authenticity of the surrounding community, rather than turning its back on it.

Perhaps obtaining the end result (trophy development) without the proper foundation may not be the best path, though it is the current path being followed.  I am partial to this planning process as I believe cities should be fostering environments of innovation, rather than compete with each other for the slice of the pie. Cities need to concentrate and focus on what their urban identity and rhythm is, and put energy behind it. They need to bait what companies desire, which is a talented and competent workforce, and make it a priority of what the creative class is seeking in terms of where to live.

Perhaps there should also be a variation in zoning – perhaps a placemaking demarcation to specific developments and companies known to invigorate their surrounding communities? Wouldn’t that be fun.

The countdown has begun! It is now officially less than one month until graduation. Time has certainly flown, and it is strange to think that when I started the program, there were 600 days separating then to the fateful moment where I walk across the stage, get hooded by my faculty, and be the first in my family to earn a Master’s degree. I am very excited for the new chapters in my life that will begin, along with all the trepidation that comes with it.

My time in graduate school thus far has been a difficult and rewarding one, with many educational, professional, and personal challenges and opportunities. I am thankful that I have a cohort I have become great friends with, and have appreciated and fallen in love with the Bay Area. I am also fortunate to be able to exercise and develop my urban design, planning, and research skills in my time here. I feel that I am a very different person from where I started the program, and I like the changes I see.

Let the countdown begin!

On April 13, 2013, I was able to attend the APA National Conference, which was held in Chicago. I was presenting two student projects, a poster on the case study I performed on Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, and on Urban Design and Dementia – with specific focus on wayfinding. Needless to say, I was nervous. I am not afraid of public speaking, but as my first APA National Conference, I felt out of my league. However, the nervousness also brought in much energy, and in the end, I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to present my work.

PDF of the Shinjuku Station Case Study

The APA National Conference was great. I learned a lot and met some really great people. One of my favorite panels was the one on Olympic Cities, which showcased the London Olympic Plans, the Chicago Olympic bid, and the redevelopment and investment of Rio de Janiero: their transportation system, infrastructure, and waterfront. Below is the video they showed on the proposed plans for their waterfront. It is a very exciting video and exciting time for them, with the World Cup and the Pope Visit prior to the Olympic Games of 2016.

Lastly, I must say that Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, comparable to Kyoto, Japan and Hangzhou, China – at least in my opinion. I knew I had a fascination for historic buildings, especially brick ones, but it exploded as I observed Chicago’s amazing architecture, beautiful skyline, and great parks and waterfront.

I would like to give a special thank you to the American Planning Association for the opportunity to present my student capstone projects there, as well as San Jose State University for their study abroad scholarship and the SJSU Urban and Regional Planning (Professor Ralph McLaughlin) for their advising of my Master’s Project.

I had the opportunity to look through historic resource surveys on various districts of the City of Oakland. One of interest is Oakland Chinatown. I remember the first time walking through the district last year, and was pleased to be overcome with a sense of familiarity and integrity of the place. This isn’t a tourist Chinatown of Los Angeles or San Francisco, but a fully functioning entity that has, through trauma and time, been able to weather the urban changes that have swept away so many other ethnic enclaves.

What defined this area as Chinatown? Most notably it is the strong and consistent presence of Chinese businesses dating back to over a century, the resulting settlement of recent immigrants, shipyard workers, restaurateurs, and service workers. Surviving the ravages of discrimination, displacement, the Triad mafia, and gentrification – there is an innate sense of historic within the stucco walls and bright colored but faded awnings with large Chinese characters atop.

However, development is not stagnant, and new establishments have been built in the Chinatown District in Oakland. From new shopping centers to gas stations to civic buildings, the neighborhood continues to change and grow. It has now become a priority for the community, the city, and the sake of district preservation to protect, restore, and elevate Oakland Chinatown to contend with the momentum of growth Oakland is experiencing. I have been researching the commonalities of the architecture in Chinatown, and have began to wonder what is the true design vernacular of the district.

There are quite a few structures in Chinatown that are over 100 years old, many built either in the early 20th century or the 1940’s-50’s.Many of these buildings contribute to the Chinatown vernacular, however most of the early 20th century structures are not “Chinese” by form. The first few structures were typical commercial or residential or commercial lodgings of the era: wood framed, double-hung or bay windows, stucco-faced with pilasters, a simply cornice with a generally flat parapet. It wasn’t until the 1940’s-1950’s was there the injection of more “oriental” architectural themes, perhaps as a way in that era to preserve the look of Chinatown: moon-gate entryways, greater use of bright ceramic tiles, pent roofs of tile with up-curves on the corners. Universally, both forms had awnings or signs with large Chinese characters on them, and were usually built to the sidewalk, with activity pouring into the street itself.

As I think about the architectural cohesion; I have to acknowledge that, interestingly, both forms work together. The integrity of the early 20th century originals intermixed with the 1940’s-1950’s stereotypical attempts at what a Chinatown should look like. Notably, Oakland Chinatown, like many other ethnic enclaves in the United States, are not defined by the actual architecture as it is by the vendors that inhabit them: predominantly Chinese business owners and residents, Chinese or Asian cuisine, groceries into the sidewalk, and signage predominantly in Chinese. Yet the use of bright ceramic tile and curved roof corners do add a certain humor to the district without distracting from its integrity – though over-saturation would empty that aspect out.

A year ago I made a post on eastern design aesthetics in a Western city, notably looking at the Japan Peace Pagoda and Japantown in San Francisco. There is an echo of the same sentiment here, but with more clarity after a year of marinating. The “design guidelines” of these districts are not so much architectural or form-based as it is cultural and use-based. To retain and invigorate the original population, to allow the unique uses of the district to remain and continue to draw visitors, perhaps these are the community guidelines that need to be further highlighted.

This is part three of my three-part series on my sketches I did in Japan, the last of the series. Please check out Part 1 and Part 2, also!

Osaka skyline, from the view of the Osaka Castle grounds.

Smoke stack in Osaka. One of the few times I saw pollution.

A series of restaurants and shops in Osaka. The colors and shapes are extreme.

A shrine in Kobe.

Brick buildings in a sea of gray, Kobe.

Downtown Kobe.

Tokyo skytree and skyline (well, part of it).

Today I attended TransForm‘s Let’s Get Moving Silicon Valley summit at the Luther Burbank Elementary School in San Jose. Their first annual event, this summit pulled in over 100 people and speakers from the federal, regional, and local sectors of transportation and planning. There were many fascinating panels and TransForm did an amazing job with the organization of the event. Here are the highlights of the sessions I attended.

Plenary

Chris Lepe, community planner of TransForm, welcomed everyone to the event and provided the mission of the summit: to promote wise, equitable, and innovative thinking in transportation policy. Dwayne Marsh of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development kicked off the event with an overview of transportation issues and solutions on the federal level that is leading to the current and necessary changes to the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Susan Stuart of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department noted the importance of a multi-modal neighborhood in increasing accessibility, public health, and active lifestyles for residents, especially with the trends of increasing chronic diseases. San Jose Councilmember Ash Kalra of District 2 rallied the participants to continually demand improved transportation policies that meet the needs of all members of the community.

Session 1

I attended the session Moving Silicon Valley Forward that addresses social and racial equity in transportation and housing policies. Vu-Bang Nguyen of Urban Habitat conveyed the startling statistics of lower income families facing financial circumstances where housing and transportation alone may make up 75% of a household’s budget, leaving the remaining for food, utilities, education, savings, etc. Jennifer Martinez of Peninsula Interfaith Action told of the gentrification issues facing East Palo Alto due to Facebook’s relocation of their campus to east Menlo Park and speculation of investors that have bought up foreclosed and affordable housing parcels in the area. Pat Plant of The Presbytery of San Jose and Sandra Hietala of People Acting in Community Together (PACT) showcased their work advocating for transit accessibility and providing monthly bus passes for homeless populations. They also showed the power community participation may bring in pressuring elected officials to fund projects of community priority. I asked a question about how to communicate social equity priorities to boards and organizations who may be fiscally-minded. Their responses were to pressure elected officials and the boards of organizations to value social equity, and to look in detail in the funding mechanisms that exist.

Session 2

The second session I attended was Connecting with High Speed Rail in Santa Clara County, led by Rod Diridon, the executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute. His light-hearted and insightful presentation illustrated the need for high speed rail, and all the benefits of having one. The United States is the only developed nation without a high speed rail infrastructure. It has been recorded in other countries that their high speed rail lines are profitable. In terms of pollution reduction, economic development, and statewide accessibility, the high speed rail is necessary in joining California’s two megaregions, the Bay Area and Southern California. Videos and renderings were also played on what a potential trip on the high speed rail may look like. The video is provided below.

I asked Mr. Diridon on what potential would there be for increasing the profits of potential high speed rail stations by adding retail to them, as is done in Japan with their stations. His witty response was that I have to figure that out as a planning student, and further elaborated that the profits and financing mechanisms are there, but the land use policies and right-of-way jurisdictions need to be clarified and expanded to take advantage of such potential revenue streams.

Beyond the speakers, it was a great day to hang out with school friends and meet new people. Great job, TransForm!

The street experience, and the pedestrian experience, is one of nostalgia, energy, and romanticism. In Marshall Berman’s book, “All That Is Solid Melts into Air,” vivid descriptions of the human encounter with the street: being almost trampled by a carriage, having mud and horse feces on you, exploring the clash of the homeless and the aristocracy in shared space, has placed the perception of streets from the realm of function to one of nostalgia.

Lofty scholarly pursuits are not necessary to enjoy the streets, nor should it. However, the street should still provide the magic and nostalgia that many past artists and philosophers have penned into their observations of daily life. If not organically created, sometimes it helps to have a little push and bring some mysticism back into the streets.

The following are playful uses of light that bring charm and romance into the street.

Street signs

People are bombarded with lights in Dontonbori in Osaka, Japan – but in the cacophony of advertising, the colored hues that grace the urban landscape, ever changing, is striking.

Tree lights

The photos of Oakland, CA and Palo Alto, CA, offer the wonderful way to illuminate the street with the use of string lights wrapped around trees: light perpetually floating fireflies.

In addition to tree lights, this corridor in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, utilizes the vista of the Tokyo Tower, and uses your location to frame the scene. What is great is that where I took this picture is a sign on the floor telling you to take a picture from this angle.

Softened light

There are many lanterns in Japan, and at night, the glowing orbs illuminate said street. In addition to the cultural and decorative aspects of lanterns, the softened lighting cradles architectural features and awed faces. In the age of Instagram and mass photography, places that contribute to good photographs spread the magic of the street beyond geography and borders.

Just a reminder that the public realm is mystical, though a little lighting help.

Last semester for my urban design studio under Professor Renee Schrader, my group: Sabrine Nainar, Dinh Nguyen, and I; provided an urban design analysis with design solutions for the underutilized alleyways in the Spartan-Keyes neighborhood of San Jose. This was a great experience in combining the needs and desires of the community with overall design and aesthetic principles of placemaking and community identity, and led to a great collaboration between the group and a product we are all proud of.

Below are the rendered posters showcasing our design solutions.

Spartan Keyes lies south of downtown San Jose and San Jose State University. It is flanked by the 280 Freeway and many important arterials. Not shown is the fact that this area has a strong arts identity, punctured by light industrial uses such as car repair shops. The population is majority Hispanic or Vietnamese. There is also a large homeless encampment by the neighborhood along Coyote Creek, where my previous studio addressed.

There aren’t a lot of opportunities for the residents to enjoy recreation or open space. Bestor Park, as indicated above, is the only established place to enjoy green space.

Our design solutions are to distribute open space assets: active and passive recreation opportunities, community gardens, demonstration gardens, quiet spaces, and flower gardens; throughout the neighborhood in these underserved alleys. The idea is that by providing additional opportunities to connect with the natural environment, pockets of urban relief and the biophylic and healing connection with nature may more readily occur.

Our proposal for Alley B is to take the two lane alley and make it one, with permeable green surfaces that increase the amount of greenspace available, while allowing it to withstand vehicular use when necessary. This alley flanks a commercial area, and while underutilized, is still active. Active and passive recreation opportunities in the form of walkways and circuit training is present.

Alley F is a quiet alley. The proposal cuts the dual entry alley into one, and using the other end to create a lush grove of fruit trees that lead to a space for quietness, meditation, and relief. A greenway connects to the other end of the alley.

Alley J only has one entrance and is not used by vehicles. As the ground is already dirt, the concept behind this alley is to divide it into stages. The beginning will host active recreation opportunities that draw people to the alley. The center is community gardens that foster seasonal witness, growth, and harvest. The end is a quiet space of reflection – which also acts as a sacred space. Additionally, the sacred space in the end would deter the current unsightly and unsanitary activities that occur at the end of the alley.

Here are some photos of the community conversation held at the Art Ark Galley in San Jose on December 12, 2012.

Great attendance by community members, students, and even Councilmember Sam Liccardo. Grateful he came, even on crutches.

Great team and experience, and thoroughly enjoyed presenting the findings to the community. Naturally, these are only concepts, but hopefully, there will be some momentum to get some changes to happen! You can find the larger files on my portfolio page or here.