Next in our 'Teska People Feature' series is Yuchen Ding, who we welcomed to the team this Spring! Passionate about transportation planning, complete streets, urban design and land use -- Yuchen's skillset bridges the creative and technical sides of planning, and brings 5+ years of municipal experience.
Like many of us "placemakers", Yuchen's formative beginnings and surroundings helped shape the lens through which he experienced life. Having grown up in Shanghai, China (population 26 million!), he credits the environment in which he was raised (alongside Sim City) with sparking his early interest in planning.
“Shanghai showcases the most concentrated elements of planning. Neighborhoods are highly walkable, transit is convenient and reliable, mixed-use buildings and streetscapes are everywhere…I gained a fundamental understanding of how a city functions and what elements attract people to live in different neighborhoods, even though the context is different here.”
After completing his Bachelors in Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), he then headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a Masters of Planning. We are happy to say his love for this field has continued from there!
Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
A: I really love traveling around the United States and seeing the different cultures in each place. My favorite thing is to take a 3–4-day weekend and see a new area. So far, I’ve been to 30 states and my goal is to visit all of them! My less costly hobby is cooking. I also collect jet model planes (have over 100 of them), and have done fencing since the fifth grade through my college master's program,.
Q: What is one of your favorite places visited?
A: I like Japanese culture, which I got to experience when I traveled in Japan with a group from the planning department during undergrad. Their rail transit system is amazing – it’s a paradise for train lovers! I also love Florida’s coastal cities: the sunshine, warmth and beach scene.
Q: Why did you want to work at Teska?
A: I’ve heard of Teska since being in school and was always amazed by the firm’s variety of work! I like that I get to try everything here – I have a lot of different interests and I get to explore all of them. Also, from knowing different people at Teska it was obvious that everyone here is passionate about planning. I believe when you love your job you produce good work.
Q: What was a pivotal experience in planning that shaped you?
A: The urban design course that I took at UIUC was where I discovered my love for SketchUp and design. I still remember how we studied Midtown Champaign and developed a vision for a blighted area, with streetscaping and traffic calming.
Q: If you were shipwrecked on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?
A: I’ll go with…. 1) a satellite phone with flashlight, 2) a picture of my family, and 3) a hammock.