Ar. Ran Chen is a Senior Urban Designer at the City of Toronto. She is responsible for reviewing development proposals, developing urban design guidelines / built form studies, and providing advice to the Council of Toronto in matters of Urban Design. Prior to working in Toronto, she was an urban designer and urban planner with extensive working experience in North America, Latin America and Asia. In addition, she is a lecturer at the University of Toronto Metropolitan.
<Education>
The University of Panama
Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.)
Pratt Institute
Master of Science (M.Sc.), City and Regional Planning
Ar. Ran Chen shares her journey in urban planning and design, emphasizing the importance of communication skills and pursuing a career you're passionate about.
What do you do daily in your job as an Urban Planner?
"As an urban planner, I work with various people to plan out the city. The work ranges from big scale projects such as overseeing pipelines and regional borders to small scale projects such as designing a single building."
You have experience working as an Urban Planner and an Urban Designer. What are the differences between those two?
"Urban Planners work in departments that are related to land use and have to consider technical properties and policies rather than design. They work with people with diverse backgrounds such as civil engineers, and land planners."
"Urban Designers focus more on architecture and detail. They plan the location, the type of buildings, and the materials needed for construction. A Bachelor's Degree in Architecture (B. Arch) is usually needed."
What skills are helpful to become an Urban Planner?
One should have enough art skills and spatial visualization to portray a rough sketch of what they have in mind.
Urban Planners need good communication & negotiation skills, as they have to collaborate with people to make their projects a reality
Sometimes, you might even have to "sweet talk" a person to convince them of your ideas too!
Although colleges did not teach me how to use software, I eventually had to learn to use them myself after I got my job as an Urban Planner.
Some software programs Ran Chen uses are:
When did you first get interested in your field of work?
"My mother was a Civil Engineer. Her influence led me to gain interest in Architecture and I started drawing diagrams of buildings and using Legos to make my own from a young age. However, it was my professor that helped me choose my career as urban planning when I was majoring in Architecture."
What steps did you take to pursue this career path?
"The college admissions in Panama are slightly different from America. In Panama, to be accepted into an Architectural College, I had to prepare to take a written exam that tested creativity and design skills."
"After my university education at Pratt, I returned to Panama and worked at various non-profit organizations. Then, I received a job offer as an Urban Designer in Shanghai. I had chosen to work there despite some conflicting interests as Shanghai had made one of the first eco-cities in the world. After working there for more than a year, I moved to Ontario as an Urban Planner which led me to my current job as a Senior Urban Designer at the City of Toronto ."
As a woman in STEM, what are some (if any) difficulties you’ve faced because of your identity as a woman?
"Thankfully, I have not had difficulties with my job because of my gender. Ten years ago, I'd say that the male-female ratio at my work was equal. Nowadays, it actually feels as if there are more women in my workforce than men. However, it was true that most of the people in the architectural department at my universities were men."
"In terms of race, I had once faced I situation where someone directed a microaggression to me. I had tried to ignore it, but others stood up for me, which I was very grateful for."
Do you feel that High Schoolers should look into this career for their futures?
"Of course! If they have interest in Urban Planning, and they want to pursue this career, I will urge them to do so."
What is some advice you have for High Schoolers looking to pursue this career?
"Urban Planning is a somewhat subjective line of work, so you should not be discouraged when people a quick to criticize your work. It is helpful to develop good communication skills for the future so you would be able to express your opinions to the people."
"It may be hard to find jobs in my department as a new Urban Planner, but you should not be discouraged. There are countless of opportunities such as working for firms, non-profits, and even starting your own company."
What are some general Life Advice you have for High Schoolers?
"Nowadays, students are being pressured by society to score well on tests, find jobs, get high salaries, and have high goals."
"Choose something you love because that is how you excel at it. Instead of trying to get high-paying jobs, work for something you are passionate about."
"Choose the job you want to do in your life."
Editor: Heather
A huge thanks to Ran Chen for her time and her effort put into supporting SciSapience. We look forward to her experiences, helpful advice and knowledge continuing to inspire and strengthen other high school students.
Learn more about Ran Chen here