Rezoning East Harlem, Rethinking One-Size-Fits-All Public Engagement

In this episode of People Behind the Plans, host Courtney Kashima,
AICP, catches up with Traci Sanders of WXY Studio in New York.
Traci serves as the director of civic impact for the
multidisciplinary architecture, design, and planning firm. She and
Courtney start off by exploring how Traci discovered the field of
urban planning — the seed was planted during high school, when she
split her time between the South and North Sides of Chicago and
noticed the stark inequities between them. Traci describes how her
work trajectory changed after graduating from NYU Wagner Graduate
School of Public Service, eventually leading her to a job with New
York City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito and involvement in
the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan. Both Traci and Courtney share
their thoughts on how certain urban planning spheres view public
versus private backgrounds, and they muse on issues like the public
dimension of design and why a community engagement process should
be tailored to every client.