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

Hi, I’m Yuki, an urban designer working across planning, architecture, spatial research, and community engagement. I’m passionate about creating more just and inclusive places through community-led design and accessible spatial storytelling.

MS Advanced Urban Design — Cornell University

MArch — Tsinghua University

Based in New York City

Full Bio →

Work

All Urban Design Architecture Research/Web Publication

All Topics Community Engagement Climate Resilience Queer Spatiality Archive Spatial Belonging Social Justice

Yuchun Zhang

Yuki · She/Her

New York, NY & Tucson, AZ yz3295@cornell.edu (862) 338-6854

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-Present

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

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

Zhang, Y. (2026). “Hidden Constellations: Mapping Queer Sapphic Spatiality in New York City.” In L. Simeone, C. M. Gray, A. Verhoeven, A. de Götzen, Y. Bakırlıoğlu, H. Zohar, M. Stead, & P. Buwert (Eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. DOI ↗

Luo, Y., Liang, M., Gao, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, C., Su, X., & Huang, W. (2020). “Investigating Site Survey Process with Protocol Analysis and an Extended FBS Framework.” In D. Holzer, W. Nakapan, A. Globa, & I. Koh (Eds.), RE: Anthropocene: Proceedings of the 25th International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA 2020) (Vol. 2, pp. 547–556). DOI ↗

Tian, Y., Zhang, Y., & Tian, L. (2021). “Whether Stringent Planning Control Has Lifted Housing Price and Rent: Implications of International Experiences on China’s Rental Market.” Design Community (住区), 2021(6), 17–21. Article ↗

田漾帆、张钰淳、田莉：《严格的规划管控会否抬升房价与租金？——国际经验对我国租赁住房发展的借鉴与启示》，《住区》2021年第6期，第17–21页。

Conference Presentations

Zhang, Y. (2026). “Integrating Ecological Modeling and Interactive Storytelling for Oyster Habitat Restoration in New York City.” Paper presented at the 9th International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism (ICCAUA 2026).

Zhang, Y. (2025). “Hidden Constellations: Mapped and Unmapped Queer Women Space in NYC.” Creative Submission Track, Association for Computers and the Humanities 2025 Conference, virtual presentation.

Manuscript Under Review

Zhang, Y. (under review). “Integrating Ecological Modeling and Interactive Storytelling for Oyster Habitat Restoration in New York City.” International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences.

Selected Research & Digital Projects

Hidden Constellations ↗

2025–2026

Oysterbnb ↗

2025

Resonant Ecologies ↗

2026

Selected Public Scholarship & Engagement

The Yuki Toolkit / Valley of the Moon ↗

Interpretive toolkit, 2026

Threads Through the Tapestry: Queer Monuments and Memory ↗

Invited talk, Feminist Spatial Practices, 2026