Reflective Essay

As I entered the University of Washington, I thought I knew what my course

would be. I had always had a strong interest in Architecture, and this seemed like the
logical major to pursue. I took a couple courses in Architecture and Landscape
Architecture, and although I enjoy the content, I didnt enjoy them as much as I had
expected. Eddie and Anastasia, who were both in a Landscape class with me, first
introduced me to their major Community, Environment, and Planning. I took CEP 200
the next quarter and quickly found that CEP would provide a non-competitive, diverse
community. This quality I had felt was clearly lacking in Landscape and Architecture.
Junior Year
I was incredibly excited and nervous to begin my studies in CEP. As nice as my
new classmates seemed, I was still worried that competitive dynamics would emerge,
just like I had experienced in most courses. However, this never quite happened
because we had a vested interest in seeing everyone achieve.
One aspect of CEP that I found disappointing was that the vibe created during
Fall Retreat was quickly lost in the routine of schoolwork and classes. The major felt less
exciting and fresh, and I wondered why I had to read philosophy when I was mainly
interested in urban planning. I understand that some courses have more value to
certain CEP students than others, but CEP 301s lack of real-world applicability was a
low-point in my education.
Senior Year
From late August of 2013 to the end of December, I studied Dutch planning in
Groningen, The Netherlands. This was a truly wonderful experience, and I learned an
incredible amount about how cities and communities are constructed in a different part
of the world. Studying abroad had always been on my list of goals for college, and Im
glad that I was able to make it happen. However, the transition back to life and school
in Seattle was more difficult than I could have anticipated.
Things in Seattle had seemed to stand still even though Id been out of touch for
nearly seven months. I felt let-down that more hadnt changed while I was away. The
same arguments between certain people in my class were as lively as ever, the content
of the course was uninspiring, and the Seattle winter weather did little to boost my
spirits. I also felt behind on my senior project due to being so disconnected during fall
quarter, and wanted nothing more than to head back to Europe.
Spring quarter brought with it both better weather and more energy to
complete the tasks I needed to do. My internship was enjoyable because I was able to
see the importance and results that my work could have. However, I never seemed to
have enough time to complete all of the various requirements I had which compounded
my emotional and physical stress levels. I tried to take 18 credits in addition to my two-
days-a-week internship. As hard as I tried, I was never fully caught up.
Senior Project
My senior project originally began with a focus on the role that transportation
has in our urban cities. I began in the summer of 2013 researching the implications of
autonomous (self-driving) vehicles and how they will shape our cities, both socially and
physically. I was intrigued by the potential financial savings that could be reaped from a
more efficiently used transportation network. Autonomous vehicles will be able to
service multiple users during the course of a day, drive closer together on our highways,
and function in the most energy efficient means possible; all of this with significantly
less accidents between vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
This was all before I flew to The Netherlands to learn about Dutch planning. As
my studies in Groningen progressed, I became more disenfranchised with the idea that
autonomous vehicles would save the vitality and economies of our cities and nation.
There I was, living in a fully functioning, and thriving, society that was using bicycles
rather than personal vehicles for their daily needs. It wasnt through cutting edge
sensor technology and code that was getting people to their destinations, it was a
simple self-powered machine called the bicycle coupled with progressive planning
practices.
As I prepared to fly back to Seattle, just in time for Christmas holidays, I knew
that my senior project needed to quickly shift focus. I was able to utilize some of the
research on the role of vehicles in our cities from my previous project to jump-start my
new ideas. A natural progression of this thought brought me to some similar
discussions that are currently surrounding autonomous vehicles, such as: Where do
vehicles park? How do they utilize road space? and What are the finances that encourage
vehicle use?
At this point, I found myself with a workable senior project idea, the beginnings
of research, and many unknown details still to figure out. Many of my peers were well
on their way with nearly a summer and quarter of schools worth of work already
completed. The feeling of being behind was unrelenting as I grappled with
transitioning back to my life in Seattle. Yet my head and heart were still holding tight to
the simplicity and excitement of living in The Netherlands.
Although it took some time to settle back into my Seattle routine, I eventually
began to enjoy again what I was studying. Visiting different areas in Seattle and
critically observing their different qualities reminded me of why I was studying
streetscapes for my senior project. One of the greatest parts of my project was
traveling to different cities, comparing them to Seattle, and discovering new ways that
their planners had made their streets more inviting, livable spaces.
Senior Project Night arrived at a startling speed but was a much more exciting
and informative experience than I had expected. My reviewers were very interested in
the overall concepts I was exploring but were hoping for even more project. If I was to
have additional time to continue working on my project, there are quite a few
suggestions from the panelist that I would love to explore. One reviewer suggested
rating parking spaces by desirability (on-street, side-street, parking lot, parking garage,
each by price and time-limit). This idea had not occurred to me and would strengthen
my project. Another reviewer suggested that a business-community outreach portion
to gauge resistance to removing on-street parking on 2
nd
Avenue. The feedback from
my panelist of reviewers reassured my love of urban issues and solutions. Going
forward, my plans are to become involved in other areas of urban development rather
than transportation planning. However, my interest will always persist and I may even
become involved in transportation advocacy during my spare time.
Next Steps
To say that these past four years of school have been tough would be a vast
understatement. As rough as some of it has been, Ive learned and grown more than I
thought possible. It is surreal to see my time at the University of Washington coming to
an end, but Im ready for the next chapter to begin. Soon, my daily life will drastically
change as I head up to Alaska to work on a construction project. I am excited for the
different types of challenges I will face, and the process of finding a firm to work with
once I come back to Seattle in Autumn.