the
JOURNAL
Panorama is a curation of work from students of the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. As planners, preservationists, designers, and urbanists, we strike a balance between remembering the past and preparing for the future.
This edition of Panorama spreads itself across time and scales – from intimate stories to global policy recommendations. Through writing, cartography, and photography, students explore topics such as green finance, the future of mobility, affordable housing policy, restroom access, creative economies, and much, much more. Panorama 2023 also features work from the Weitzman School’s Fall ’22 semester, including urban design for climate resiliency in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; a reimagination of the DC-295 highway in Washington, D.C; data visualization and historical research exploring Boston’s mobility future; and, in a joint studio with the Department of Landscape Architecture, strategies to foster transnational soli-
darity, ecological renewal, and economic prosperity at the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This magazine seeks to create discussions at the intersections of challenges that all of us, planners or not, witness in our everyday lives, be it rising temperatures, increasing housing costs, a lack of viable mass transit, or poorly organized settlements. The future of planning rests on our collective ability for thought, dialogue, and action. We have thoroughly enjoyed bringing together this edition of Panorama and we hope that when you turn the last page, you feel challenged, informed, and
hopeful for our future.
With hope, and in solidarity,
Lisa Servon
Professor & Department Chair
the
TEAM
Bailey Bradford
Design Editor
Bailey (he/him) is a first-year Master of City Planning student with a focus in Sustainable Infrastructure and Transportation Planning. He is passionate about the role of transportation accessibility and equity in building safe, climate-resilient, and vibrant communities. Prior to becoming a graduate student, he developed paid digital media campaigns for clients such as the Georgia Democratic Party and Voto Latino. When not browsing bus network maps, he is probably deep in a new dinner recipe or playing Beyoncé’s Renaissance on loop.
Riddhi Batra
Copy Editor
Riddhi is a second-year Master of City Planning student with a background in architecture and urban action, research, and advocacy. A firm believer in the potential of design and communication to transform our lives, she is currently exploring the intersection of mobility, infrastructure, and public space to develop solutions for social and ecological equity. When not glued to her laptop, you can find her petting a dog (or a cat), flipping through a book, sniffing coffee beans, or clicking photographs of almost everything.
micah epstein
Design Editor
micah (they/them) is a second year Master’s in City Planning student concentrating in Housing, Community, and Economic Development. They are a storyteller and systems meddler raised on vast swathes of fantasy and science fiction, which taught them the power stories have to change hearts, minds, and systems. As a designer, they’ve designed web experiences and print artifacts for the ACLU of Washington, the MIT Media Lab, the coveillance collective, and many others. When not pushing pixels, you can find them headbanging in grimy basements or racing (and beating) c*rs on their rusty fixed gear.
Katie Hanford
Copy Editor
Katie is a first-year Master of City Planning student concentrating in Housing, Community and Economic Development. After studying anthropology as an undergraduate, Katie worked for a few years in the nonprofit sector, focusing on youth development and community support. Katie is interested in the intersection of culture, power, and community-led design, specifically how communities come together to create urban space that fits their needs. When not people-watching, Katie spends her time playing/listening to all things heavy, watching ‘90s romcoms and finding the best food and drink deals Philly has to offer.
Jackson Plumlee
Design Editor
Jackson is a design editor for Panorama and a third-year dual degree student in Landscape Architecture and City Planning programs. He believes that planners and designers can support the collective will of communities and amplify their people power through research, advocacy, and participatory action. His studies focus on the intersections of climate justice, community organizing, and methods of cooperative land ownership. Otherwise he’s out watercoloring on location or daydreaming about his next illustration project.
Jonathan Zisk
Content Editor
Jonathan is a first year city planning master's student concentrating in sustainable transportation and infrastructure planning. He comes to Penn with experience working at the School District of Philadelphia and at Philadelphia's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. Jonathan has an English degree from Reed College in Portland Oregon and also attended Deep Springs College in California. He believes that cities are remarkable spaces for sustainable and equitable life and wants Chestnut and Walnut Streets to be permanently closed to cars. If you have any questions, you can find him in Clark Park at 6:30pm every Wednesday.
