have yah met us?
Hello!
What happens when 2 urban planners meet at a public space conference?
They dream, scheme, and become a team (urban revolution forthcoming).
Abby Jamiel.
Abby Jamiel.
play
arts
movement
Abby (Abigail) Jamiel, AICP
Senior Planner
Abby has worked on projects ranging from public art consultation, comprehensive plans for parks and recreation, agricultural preservation, and economic development.
Abby has a B.A in Art History from Ithaca College where she rowed on the Varsity Crew Team. She also has a Master's Degree in Urban Planning with a concentration in Urban Design from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Polokwane, South Africa and WorldTeach volunteer in Ongwediva, Namibia.
I knew I wanted to be a planner when:
During my years living in Sub-Saharan Africa, I became more aware of how “the feel of a place” was tied to culture. Living outside of my own cultural context, I started to ask questions about aesthetics, design, and spatiality. I never knew someone could do planning as a job. After a few years of Google searching, but what does a planner do, though?” I took a chance and enrolled in grad school.
Dream project:
It’s a tie between a historic renovation-artist studio- project and a public space design in Sub-Saharan Africa.
I nerd out about:
Bringing joy and justice to cities. I am particularly interested in the intersection of public space, arts and culture, and climate migration.
Big questions I can’t shake:
What is the “future of community engagement” when everyone is tired, busy, and already facing communication overload? How can public spaces and the physical nature of cities heal emotional and psychological wounds? Is true cultural “integration” really the goal? How do we change culture so the arts is viewed as a critical, instead of a “nice to have?” Where’s the best ice cream in town?
Interested in exploring these questions through research or practice?
Samantha Yannucci.
Samantha Yannucci.
cultural exchange
systems
human behavior
Samantha Yannucci
Principal + Director
Samantha Yannucci is an urban planning and community engagement specialist. She thrives in concept creation and project development where she can leverage her creativity to solve complex problems. Underpinning her work is her commitment to understanding and enhancing the intricate connections between the human experience and the built environment.
Samantha has a master's degree in Urban Planning with a concentration in Community Development and a B.A. in Geography. She was a visiting researcher in Stockholm, Sweden where she became fascinated with the effect of our environments on place attachment and cultural expression as it relates to refugee integration.
Samantha is the Chapter Representative for Conscious Philadelphia, a new Centre for Conscious Design city chapter through which she plans and organizes events and convenings with the aim to build a more responsive and inclusive urban landscape in Philadelphia.
I knew I wanted to be a planner when:
During an internship on an organic farm in NE Ohio, I began volunteering as an adult education workshop conductor teaching composting, nutrition, and food production to combat food insecurity in rural Ohio. The reality that food insecurity could plague a community that is literally surrounded by farms was baffling to me. I was on a mission to understand the broken links between people and resources. When I stumbled upon urban planning, it all clicked into place.
Dream project:
Designing a cultural enclave to optimize refugee integration and intercultural exchange, with a focus on learning from ethnic communities like the Eritrean diaspora in the Netherlands.
I nerd out about:
Human behavior, psychology, and neuroscience; the relationship between the built environment and cultural integration; the supply chain of specialty items.
Big questions I can’t shake:
How does the built environment shape intercultural curiosity and exchange? At what point between belonging and displacement do these interactions flourish? What lessons can be drawn from ethnic establishments and cultural spaces in host countries to inform urban design and planning? How can we intentionally design micro-settings that encourage curiosity and dialogue between dominant and non-dominant groups? Is there a space on either side of the em dash?