Where did you grow up?
I am from Wuhan, China, which was once regarded as “the Oriental Chicago” in the early 20th century, due to its importance as the industrial hub for Central China, its busy waterway transportation, and its unique architecture. Growing up near lakes and rivers, I am inherently interested in sustainable environmental planning.
What is your degree in? Why did you choose that degree?
I studied English Literature as an undergrad and I recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a certificate in Urban Informatics. Both majors study human relations with others and the environment: literature depicts and explains what makes people’s sense of place and their emotional attachments to where they live; and urban planning manages to take care of these feelings when solving the conflicts in urban life.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us.
I have a table that keeps track of all the clothes that I had/have. It contains information like the clothes’ prices, colors, styles and how long I have been wearing them, so that I won’t buy clothes that won’t match with others or what I thought I would like but actually never wear.
What is your history with Detroit?
As a UM student, I have participated in various urban planning programs related to Detroit, such as the multi-criteria analysis for tree planting prioritization, the suitability analysis for community stormwater management, the density analysis for urban sprawl, and the accessibility analysis for community gardens. Nevertheless, nothing is comparable to the experience when I actually visited Detroit, walked around in the city, tried famous restaurants, and talked to my Detroit friends there. Also, the first time that I visited Detroit was in 2000, and the second visit took place in 2017, therefore Detroit’s remarkable changes in the past two decades were more than significant to me when I revisited it recently.
What did you do before working at D3?
I mainly worked as a GIS analyst and research assistant at UM after my graduation. I have worked at UM’s Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center, cleaning, analyzing and mapping crime data from the Michigan State Police Department to study how community greening can help with reducing crimes against young people. After that, I participated in a tree planting prioritization program for Southeast Michigan which involves a case study set in Detroit.
What do you like about working at D3 so far? How do you think the work you are doing benefits the city/region?
I really enjoy the requests from AskD3. People reach out for all kinds of different reasons. Their questions shed light on how people use data to understand the impacts of policies and decisions, issues going in their communities, or sometimes, just to dig into a mystery in Detroit’s history. And it’s rewarding to think that D3 helps to bring data closer to more and more people, making citizen participation more convenient and Detroit itself more accessible.
What are your favorite types of data?
Spatial data on the maps that make locations of the facts and impacts explicit.