We are excited to share that Iliana Colie (CAS ’27) is our inaugural City of Boston Streets Cabinet Intern! Iliana will aid in the Streets Cabinet’s community engagement and outreach initiatives for transportation projects and mobility programs, including creating social media content, designing communications materials, and working on the ground to learn from and hear residents, businesses, stakeholders, and community organizations at public meetings, events, and workshops.
The Boston Streets Cabinet comprises two departments — the Transportation and Public Works Department — which works to keep the City of Boston moving safely, cleanly, vibrantly, and sustainably.
Iliana Colie is a rising senior at Boston University pursuing a BA in Economics and History of Art and Architecture. A New York City native, Iliana developed an early fascination with the way cities are built, moved through, and experienced — an interest that has grown to encompass urban planning, public space design, and landscape architecture. At BU, she serves as Treasurer of the Undergraduate Architecture Association, where she channels her passion for all things urban into a community of fellow design enthusiasts. She is also interested in development economics and in applying equitable frameworks to the building of cities and communities, which she hopes to explore further through urban design and planning. This summer, Iliana is eager to bring her multidisciplinary perspective to the Streets Cabinet and help build a more connected, people-centered Boston.
We asked Iliana several questions below about her interests, motivations, and what she is looking forward to as she starts her Streets Cabinet internship!
What made you want to apply for this internship?
I applied to the Streets Cabinet internship because I want to help make Boston a more connected, greener, and safer city. Issues like pedestrian safety and accessible public space aren’t abstract to me; they directly shape daily life on and around BU’s campus, and I see firsthand how much they matter to students and residents alike. I really wanted to work somewhere that’s actively tackling those challenges at the city level and in a place where I’m familiar with on a personal level.
Tell us about your interest in cities.
Growing up in New York City gave me an early understanding of how urban environments shape everyday life: how the design of a street, a park, or a transit line can define a neighborhood’s character and its residents’ quality of life. Traveling abroad through BU’s summer internship program deepened that interest. My time spent in Prague introduced me to a city which prioritized walkability, human-scale public spaces, and thoughtful transportation infrastructure — all urban traits that left a lasting impression on me. I believe that my particular interest in cities stems from my passion for the intersection of urban planning, landscape architecture, and public space design, and for what it means to build places that truly work for everyone.
How did you first become interested in transportation?
I became interested in transportation because I’ve noticed that it is one of the few forces that touches every single person in a city, regardless of who they are or where they come from. The way a city moves its people is a direct reflection of its values — who it prioritizes, who it leaves behind, and what kind of future it’s building toward. That intersection of infrastructure, equity, and everyday life is primarily what draws me in and keeps me engaged.
What are you most looking forward to this summer?
I’m most looking forward to contributing to work that has a tangible impact on the city I now call home. Boston has so much potential to become safer, greener, and more connected, and I’m excited to be part of that effort. Beyond the projects themselves, I’m eager to learn how decisions get made in a collaborative, civic setting as well as the process of implementing design components in general.