SEEING THE CITY: 2025

Ayala Center Cebu, one of Cebu City’s malls. Notice how the entire mall sits within a master-planned private development by the same developer as if it was inside of a ring, in contrast to the crowded informal neighborhood in the very upper-right corner (screenshot of Google Earth satellite imagery). When people in the Philippines think about shopping malls, they think of these places as busy and vibrant air-conditioned multi-storey indoor shopping centers offering a large sp

In a densely connected city like Singapore, I grew up taking public transport. I enjoyed taking the buses and trains – in fact, the longer they were, the better. It was soothing to stare out the window of a particularly long bus ride while taking in the city landscape all at once.  There was one bus route, bus 174, that made me acutely aware of the economic differences in Singapore early on. In one uninterrupted route, the scenery moved from the modern, utopian skyscrapers in

Introduction Let’s paint a quick picture. Your early morning Greyhound bus pulls up to the street-level bus bay at Union Station, and you are ready to explore this new city all of your friends were talking about just a few weeks ago. The bus driver says on the PA.: “Passengers, Welcome to Washington, D.C.!” and you begin getting ready to take on the long day trip ahead of you. You take your backpack and exit the station, looking out to the small, but eventful city that awaits

I've always thought Tempe as a place that pretends it isn't the desert. Palm trees line the streets like props, lakes are carved out of the dust, and glass buildings reflecting the sun instead of absorbing it, as if architecture alone can outsmart geography. Growing up here, I didn't question that contradiction. Tempe was just home; hot, loud, sprawling, and constantly in motion. It's only after leaving, and then coming back, that I started to see how carefully constructed th

I grew up and have lived all my life in Erie, Pennsylvania, a “big small town” on the shores of Lake Erie– notorious for its lake-effect snow and status as a swing county, our election results determining the nation’s since 2008 . We are caught between three cities that have greater primacy in the Rust Belt region: to our west- Cleveland and the Greater Midwest, to our south: Pittsburgh and Appalachian coal country, to our east: Buffalo and Western NY. Because of this, Erie f

From afar, it’s easy to view Chicago as this large, intimidating monolith of a city, easily dismissed as a crime-ridden and filthy rust belt relic. Having grown up with this mindset, my recent month-long stay in Chicago shocked me by showing just how wrong I was. Nearly every day, I found myself on the “L” on the way to a brand new nook or cranny of the city, each with their own unique architecture, culture, demographics, and general vibe.  The “L” , short for elevated train

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When I think about Cape Coast, I think about water first. The Atlantic is not just scenery here, it is sound, wind, and movement. It is the background of daily life. Even from a distance, Cape Coast feels like a city that is always in conversation with the ocean, fishing boats leaving early, waves hitting the rocks, salt in the air, and people walking as if the sea is part of the street. I see Cape Coast as a city of layers. Some parts feel calm and familiar, like the small s

At first glance, it’s just another small city. Just another place with a downtown and suburbs, highways and side streets, greenery and...

Last night, instead of working on my long list of readings and assignments like I’d planned, I found myself reminiscing about a time that...

My neighborhood, Crown Heights, Brooklyn was once the scene of four days of riots between Black and Jewish residents in 1991 that...

The image above this text displays two very different sides of New York City. On the right is the wealthy and iconic Upper East Side....

A dry hush lays over Court Street. Cars go up and down through the city's center, but it seems as if everything is stagnant, stuck in...

As someone born and raised in Jinan, this city is no longer just an initial amazement to me—it has become a deep-seated familiarity and...

I’d never been more compelled to reflect on the city I’m from than when suddenly confronted with the thought of its destruction. Los...

Even though I live in the suburban area of Shanghai, I can never resist a late morning brunch on Wukang Rd on a Sunday morning. Sitting...

I've always found Baltimore to be a city of contradictions—charming, yes, but with a rawness that can't be ignored. It's the kind of...

When I moved back after 13 years, Seoul did not feel like home. The city almost seemed cold and soulless. The way people talked, acted,...

This past summer of 2024 I had the good fortune of visiting Singapore, a city-state that challenged my notions of what is possible in a...