YUCHUN ZHANG
queer sapphic spaces in NYC 40.7128° N · 74.0060° W where do we belong? habitat, data, advocacy the city as archive space as memory mapping what is absent, designing for what refuses to disappear
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YUCHUN
ZHANG

Urban Designer

Spatial Researcher

Public Space Storyteller

Urban designer with expertise in urban planning, architecture, spatial analysis, and public engagement — dedicated to advancing spatial justice, community-led development, and inclusive design for vulnerable communities.

MS Advanced Urban Design — Cornell University

MArch — Tsinghua University

Based in New York City

Full Bio →

Work

Project Type
All Urban Design Architecture Research/Web Publication
Topic
All Topics Community Engagement Climate Resilience Queer Spatiality Archive Spatial Belonging Social Justice

About

Portrait
Yuchun Zhang
Yuki · She/Her
New York, NY & Tucson, AZ yz3295@cornell.edu (862) 338-6854
LinkedIn Github

Urban designer with expertise in spatial analysis, ecological mapping, and public engagement — dedicated to advancing spatial justice and community-led design for vulnerable communities.

Education
2024-2025
MS Advanced Urban Design
Cornell University, New York
GPA 3.84 · Academic Year Scholarship ($15,000) · 42 credits
2021-2024
Master of Architecture
Tsinghua University, Beijing
GPA 3.97 / 4.00 (Top 3.5%) · Excellence Scholarship
2017-2021
Bachelor of Architecture
Tsinghua University, Beijing
GPA 3.87 (Top 2.7%) · National Scholarship · Merit Graduate of Beijing
Exchange: Technical University of Munich, 2019-2020
Experience
2026-Present
Urban Planner & Designer
500 Acres Foundation, Boise, ID
Site analysis overlaying Gen-Z mobility patterns with Opportunity Zone geographies; translating CNC/WikiHouse prefabrication workflows into site-planning and public-realm phasing implications.
2025-2026
Narrative & Research Design Fellow (Remote)
500 Acres Foundation
Delivered Reimagine Belonging — public-facing platform integrating spatial data, interviews, and drawings to inform housing and community infrastructure strategy for highly mobile Gen-Z populations.
2025
Community Engagement Support (Freelance)
HECTOR Urban Design, Newark, NJ
Supported Thriving Neighborhood Initiative engagement by coordinating community dinners (200+ attendees each); produced visual materials and photo documentation.
2024-2025
Shop Monitor
Cornell University — College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
2022-2023
Architectural Intern
Fang Yunfei Studio, THAD — Beijing
Led promenade space design for Nanhu Civic Center; created renderings and analysis diagrams.
2021
Architectural Intern
SUP Atelier, THAD — Beijing
Façade elevation drawings; on-site inspection in Jinan; curtain-wall 3D modeling.
Skills
Spatial & GIS
ArcGIS Pro · QGIS · Mapbox
Python · Ecological Modeling
StoryMapJS · GeoPandas
Design & Visualization
Rhino · AutoCAD · SketchUp
Photoshop · Illustrator · InDesign
D5 · Enscape · Lumion
Research & Engagement
Qualitative Interviewing
Cognitive & Participatory Mapping
Zine Making · Workshop Facilitation
Archival Research
Web & Code
HTML/CSS/JavaScript
GitHub Pages
Grasshopper
Languages
English
TOEFL iBT 105
Chinese
Native
German
A2
Honors & Awards
Honorable Mention, Pudding Cup 20252025
Academic Year Scholarship, Cornell University ($15,000)2024
Excellence Scholarship, Tsinghua University2023
National Scholarship (Top 0.2%, China)2020
Merit Graduate of Beijing2021
2nd Prize, Beijing Dance Competition2021

Publications

Conference Papers
Integrating Ecological Modeling and Interactive Storytelling for Oyster Habitat Restoration in New York City
ICCAUA 2026 (9th International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism) — Accepted oral presentation
Author
2026
Hidden Constellations: Mapped and Unmapped Queer Women Space in NYC
In Proceedings of the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) 2025, Creative Submission Track. View Project ↗
Author · Presenter
2025
Investigating Site Survey Process with Protocol Analysis and an Extended FBS Framework
In Proceedings of CAADRIA 2020 (25th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia), Bangkok, Thailand
Co-author · Presenter
2020
Journal Papers
Whether Stringent Planning Control Has Lifted Housing Price and Rent: Implications of International Experiences on China's Rental Market
Design Community (住区), 2021(06): 17-21
Second Author
2021
Technical Reports
Industry City: Rezoning Controversies and Community Contestation in Sunset Park
Case-study booklet. Cornell University AAP, ARCH 6332 MSAUD Colloquium (Instructor: Jesse LeCavalier), Spring 2025
Lead Author
2025
Kensington Market: Land Stewardship and Grassroots Planning Practices
Case-study booklet. Cornell University AAP, ARCH 6332 MSAUD Colloquium (Instructor: Jesse LeCavalier), Spring 2025
Lead Author
2025
Digital Projects & Grey Literature
Reimagining Belonging
Digital research project combining in-depth interviews, participant-drawn cognitive maps, and narrative visualization on housing precarity, mobility, and belonging. 500 Acres Foundation. Platform forthcoming. Related prototype ↗
Narrative & Research Design Fellow
2025-26
Hidden Constellations
Interactive scrolling website combining archival research, interviews, and cognitive mapping on queer/sapphic spatial practices in NYC. Honorable Mention, Pudding Cup 2025. View ↗
Author
2025
Oysterbnb
Digital platform and public-facing research outputs (interactive maps and zines) on oyster habitat potential in NYC waterways. View ↗
Co-author
2025
Co-edge — Reclaiming the Waterfront through Shared Habitat
Documentary research video presenting community interviews (30+ residents) and ecological analysis. Watch ↗
Author/Researcher
2025
Just Jails?
Collaborative zine publication amplifying community voices in the debate over NYC borough-based jails, based on interviews with advocates, artists, policymakers, and system-impacted community members.
Curator · Interview Editor · Co-author
2025
The Colorful Book
Zine & visual atlas mapping LGBTQ facilities and spatial inequities in New York City. In collaboration with Yilin Li.
Co-author
2024
The 3rd Bar
Zine & public research output on queer belonging, displacement, and the disappearance of lesbian bars in New York City.
Author
2024-25
Exhibitions
Mapping: Belonging & the City
Public cognitive-mapping workshop and onsite installation/exhibit. Accent Sister, New York City, 2025.
Organizer · Facilitator
2025
The 3rd Bar — A Collective Reading
Exhibition installation and public program. Company Gallery, New York City. Organized by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project (NYC chapter).
Contributor
2025
FRAMES + CURRENTS (Cornell AAP Summer Exhibition)
Exhibition assistance — curation and installation. The Gensler Family AAP NYC Center, New York City.
Exhibition Team
2025
Urban Design as Rebel Media
Exhibition installation and collective zine anthology. Performance Space, New York City.
Co-editor · Contributing Author · Exhibition Coordination
2024
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