What drew you to pursue a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at UCLA Luskin, and how did your background in public health and environmental studies shape that decision?

I decided to pursue a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at UCLA Luskin to build my professional network in my home state and develop the technical and policy skills to shape more equitable and resilient places.

My background in public health and environmental studies also shaped my decision to come to UCLA Luskin. With an interest in the intersection of climate, the built environment and public health, I was drawn to Luskin’s cutting-edge research, particularly through the Luskin Center for Innovation. As a graduate student researcher on the Heat Equity team under Dr. Kelly V. Turner, my experience has reinforced this interest and deepened my focus on how planning and policy can better support human well-being in the built environment.

O’philia Le

I also appreciate the program’s balance between technical skills, such as GIS and Adobe Creative Suite, and foundational planning theory. Because my academic background was more theory-based, I wanted to gain technical skills that would be practical on the job. As a student who pivoted into urban planning, I think Luskin provides a great introduction to the field.

You’ve described yourself as a community-driven planner — what does that mean to you, and how do you hope to carry that approach into your future career?

To me, a community-driven planner is someone who begins with listening. That means treating residents as experts on their own neighborhoods from the very beginning. It also means planning and designing with communities and making engagement an ongoing effort that shapes every stage of planning, policy and implementation. This includes hosting engagement opportunities at accessible times around work schedules and ensuring community members are compensated for their time and expertise.

I hope to carry this community-focused approach throughout my career in urban planning by centering community priorities in decision-making, especially in marginalized neighborhoods that bear disproportionate environmental and infrastructure burdens. I am committed to advancing solutions that address ecological and social needs while shaping planning outcomes that reflect community priorities within real-world constraints.

My commitment is rooted in environmental justice. Growing up in East Oakland near Interstate 880 and the Port of Oakland, I experienced firsthand how freight traffic and industrial activity shape daily life and health outcomes. In response, I believe inclusive urban planning paves the way for more equitable and climate-resilient cities by integrating community knowledge into decision-making and prioritizing health, safety and ecological balance.

Your Fulbright experience in Taiwan seems to have deeply influenced your perspective on cities and livability. What lessons from that time have stayed with you and show up in your work at Luskin today?

My Fulbright experience in Taiwan shaped how I think about climate resilience, livability and community-centered planning. As a Fulbright Taiwan English Teaching Fellow, I lived in a growing rural town and saw how quickly development can unfold. At the same time, I experienced the potential of revitalized spaces that bring people together, connect everyday life with local history and promote climate resilience.

In particular, I was struck by the revitalization of former Japanese naval airbase buildings that were reused and retrofitted into civic and cultural spaces. This redevelopment created a climate-resilient cultural park that provided third places for residents and expanded business opportunities while also preserving the history of the land. It showed me that development and sustainability can move together, especially when historic buildings are thoughtfully repurposed and integrated into new uses.

That perspective continues to shape my work at UCLA Luskin as a design and development student. Luskin has provided me with the technical tools and platform to translate my ideas into clear, actionable planning deliverables. In my Site Planning course with Dr. Minjee Kim, my team and I are currently developing a proposal to reuse the historic hangars at the Santa Monica Airport urban edge zone as an activated civic landscape — one that supports sustainability, invites public use, strengthens the local economy and preserves the history of the site through civic infrastructure and storytelling.