SEEING THE CITY: 2025

In January of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic that shut down the world, my dad was taking a business trip to his home country of Sierra Leone. Since me and my siblings were doing classes online for the forseeable future, we packed over 15 bags and went with him. The fields of my grandmother's compound at sunset. Lungi, Sierra Leone My life in Sierra Leone is defined between two cities, Lungi , living under my maternal grandmother at her backcountry compound (estate) and,

As with any other self-respecting mixed-race New Yorker, I am inevitably from Queens, having lived there for half a year before moving to the Bronx, where I’ve been for the past 19 years. I once heard an anecdote from my violin teacher of the phenomenon of immigrants first settling in Queens, attaining a middle-class life, and then promptly moving to Westchester, an affluent suburb north of the city. For my family, however, it seems we didn’t quite make it all the way, instea

As disgraced former mayor Eric Adams so eloquently put it, New York City is the  [ insert major city ] of America. Despite the city’s overpriced and undermaintained subway, rising poverty and housing insecurity, and impressively high assault rates, it is also easy to see why people from all over the world, and the rest of the country (#PurgeTheNYCTransplants), flock to The Greatest City in the World. But long before I learned to complain about the R train, I learned to cross

I am an avid advocate for extensive downtown activity (and for alliterations as well). I like the kind of cities that give you too many reasons to stay out longer than you initially intended to be. Despite how many years I've called the colonial city of Richmond my home, it still continues to keep me on my toes nonetheless. Whether it's a trip to the Poe Museum for some gothic-style gift shopping or going out with your friends to watch a VCU basketball game, the unconventiona

For most of my childhood before going to school elsewhere in Seoul, I lived in Yongsan, a district in the middle of Seoul with a unique history. Home to both Seoul Station and Yongsan Station, Yongsan has been a gateway to Seoul ever since the dawn of the railway in Korea. Foreign presence also shaped this district to how it is today; the Yongsan military base in the center of the district, which was used by Japan, later the US, and now returned to the public for a large publ

I don’t experience San Jose, Costa Rica the same way every time. Sometimes i’m there physically, walking through the city, sitting in traffic, watching how people use space. Other times, i experience it from afar; thinking about it while living in other cities, comparing it to places like Miami or Ithaca. That distance actually makes me notice more. San Jose becomes less familiar and more legible as a system: how its organized, where it breaks down, and what ideas shape the w

Ruhaan Sharma-Soneja Boston after dark (taken by me) Growing up, Boston shaped me. I must give credit to my parents for first introducing me to the city, as when I was a child we would take forays into the city, hopping on the Red Line at Alewife and usually getting off in downtown. We would walk for hours, as I gazed in wonder at all the life around me. I vividly remember walking out of Park Street station, craning my neck to stare at the buildings which surrounded me. We w

Located in Northern California, about forty minutes south of San Francisco, Sunnyvale sits within the heart of Silicon Valley. Downtown Sunnyvale feels different depending on the day. On weekdays, the city wakes up early. Trains pass through downtown before the sun fully rises, their horns cutting through quiet neighborhoods. Commuters move quickly between trains, offices, and cars. The CALTrain is constantly passing through the center of the city; its presence is impossible

https://prtaxitours.com/tour/san-juan-city-highlights-tour-by-car/ San Juan is a city that doesn't stand still. There's always constant movement, as one would expect. Whether it's the ocean, traffic, or people. San Juan has aspects from the past as well as the present. A mix of the natural world and the built one, with both calmness and intensity. It’s a city shaped by history; it's become more than a place where I live, but one I can interpret.  Old San Juan takes you back i

Some cities are understood through their monuments. Others might through their histories. Shenzhen, a premier Chinese metropolis and a designated special economic zone, however, is best understood in motion. At only a few decades old, the city does not lean on centuries of memory to define itself. Instead, its identity seems to emerge through relentless expansion, with skylines rising, districts transforming, rail lines extending further outward each year. In Shenzhen, modern

I first encountered Washington, D.C. on a ninth-grade field trip—the kind designed to teach a carefully curated history through carefully curated space. We saw the monuments, the museums, the grand avenues. We did not see the city in any ordinary sense. Even then, I sensed that this was intentional. From the bus window, I remember turning to my friends and saying that the city looked like a movie set. We joked that the pedestrians must be paid actors, that the facades might f

Many American cities over the last century have been defined as melting pots. Tucson, Arizona, was no different. Less significant than Los Angeles or New York City, but not to people like me, not to people who endured the blistering heat and lived in the pueblo-inspired stucco houses. Growing up, I never considered the impact Tucson had on my identity. Not until now—when I’m in college, on the opposite side of the country, when the US is being defined by citizenship and immig

Spending most of my early adolescence in Seoul, one of the safest megacities in the world, I grew up believing that safety was a default setting of urban life. However, when my family moved to New York City, that assumption was quickly challenged. NYC was framed to me not only as a place of opportunity or culture, but as a city where I needed to survive. From the moment we arrived, our family friends warned me to be cautious at night, not to wander too far, avoid certain neig

Los Angeles is a city that at different times in my life I have detested with every bone in my body, and thirsted desperately to return to. When I first began learning about urbanism I thought Los Angeles was too far gone, and my goal in life was to escape the car dependent sprawl. But every time I return I’m happy to be back. As I began High School I found myself with a new freedom to explore the city, but a freedom that was constrained by my inability to drive. I remember,

The problem with living in a state as small as Massachusetts is that I have to deal with the age-old question of whether living in the “Boston-area” constitutes living 30 minutes down I-90 or actually being within a mile radius of downtown Boston. Luckily, for me it’s the latter, but the running joke following many people that claim to live in Boston is that most actually live in far-away suburbs that are decently removed from the urban center of the state. In order for these

A picture of Berkeley Square, a subdivision located in West Las Vegas. Source: Joe Buglewics. A response I commonly get when I share with someone that I am from Las Vegas is, “People actually live there?” ​ Yes, people actually live there. I am qualified to make that assertion as a Las Vegan (pronounced vay-gan). ​ In fact, The Strip, the stretch of casinos and resorts that most people associate with the image of Las Vegas, is not even a part of Las Vegas – it actually sits r

As someone born and raised in the sprawling suburbs outside of Philadelphia, the city has always felt like a distant presence. Especially growing up, my family would make the twenty minute commute to the city for Korean food and Philly cheesesteaks, or go shopping around Rittenhouse Square Park in my teens. It was always interesting to see such an entirely different urban landscape being accessible right next door -- a city strongly divided by university cities, affluent high

I was born in Beijing and have witnessed the city's transformations. The red walls of the Forbidden City and the skyscrapers of Zhongguancun together paint the Beijing of my memories. Beijing is undoubtedly beautiful, and I could write much about its scenery, history, and culture. But in today's blog post, I want to discuss what truly prompted me to observe this city deeply—those invisible yet profoundly impactful institutional designs, particularly the urban access mechanism

Usually, I would take a walk in F-10 just before dusk. Not so much for exercise. More because the neighborhood seemed a little softer under the light. The temperature would slightly decrease. The vehicles would slow down. For a moment, everything felt forgiving as the sky turned dusty pink and orange. Just before sunset, I would take a stroll in F-10. Not a lot of exercise, but the neighborhood feels a little softer because of the light. The sky would turn a dusky orange and

Tree-lined streets, good public schools, low crime, and a sense of calm that feels carefully preserved: Orinda presents itself as the suburban ideal. Tucked into the hills of Contra Costa County, my hometown offers a peaceful escape from the nearby bustling cities of San Francisco and Oakland and attracts those seeking a small-town vibe.  Growing up in Orinda, I had a hard time finding a single issue with the friendly, cozy place I lived in – I even often compared it to the c