I have aspired to work in government and public service since a fourth-grade lesson on local, state, and federal government. I remember being inspired by the opportunity to serve others and improve my community, to lift people up while helping create a better future for the generations that come after us. That resolve has stayed with me ever since. In an era of polarization, unhealthy and sometimes dangerous disagreement, and inaction on pressing issues, I was privileged to intern this summer with the City of Boston’s Planning Advisory Council (PAC) through the Boston University Initiative on Cities. My experience with the PAC, the Planning Department, and City Hall more broadly reinforced that this era of vindictive politics is the exception, not the norm. I saw firsthand that government can be a place where thoughtful, hardworking people come together to solve difficult problems and make their communities better.
This summer, I had the honor of working alongside leaders who center equity, opportunity, and growth for all Bostonians. More importantly, I was given the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to that mission. My primary project focused on persistent storefront vacancies in Boston’s commercial corridors. Before joining the PAC, this was not an issue I had thought much about. I quickly became fascinated by the complexity of the problem. A vacant storefront may look like a simple economic issue, but understanding why a space remains empty can involve property ownership, construction costs, zoning, financing, neighborhood conditions, small-business needs, and the broader health of a commercial corridor. There is no single driver of vacancy, and therefore no single solution.
The issue of storefront vacancy also changed the way I see Boston. Vacant storefronts are more than a statistic or economic data point. They are a feeling. They can change how a neighborhood looks and feels, weaken community gathering spaces, and contribute to a perception of disinvestment. At the same time, a thriving commercial corridor can provide far more than places to shop. Small businesses create informal gathering spaces, strengthen neighborhood identity, provide local employment, and contribute to the social fabric of a community. Understanding that connection made me even more interested in the intersection of urban planning, economic development, and public policy.
I researched how peer cities were addressing persistent commercial vacancies, examining programs and policies in cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Lowell, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Cambridge. My research included reviewing city reports, ordinances, administrative data, and previous plans and initiatives. I also had the opportunity to interview economic development directors, planners, and other city staff from across the country to understand their programs and policies. One of my favorite parts of the project was realizing how much you can learn by simply asking another city, “How did you do this?” This gave me a much deeper appreciation for the practical side of policymaking. A policy that looks straightforward on paper can become much more complicated when a city actually has to administer it, fund it, and convince residents and businesses that it will work.
The research ultimately culminated in a 37-page report cataloging peer-city approaches and outlining potential next steps for Boston. I was able to present my findings to the PAC as well as chiefs and staff members from the Planning Department, the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, the Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, and the Department of Innovation and Technology. Being able to take months of research and turn it into something that could be presented to city leaders was one of the most rewarding parts of my internship. It also gave me the opportunity to communicate a complicated policy issue in a way that is both informative and accessible. This is something that I know will be important in my future career.
Storefront vacancy was not my only project. I also worked on Boston’s Wayfinder Initiative, which was particularly exciting because it allowed me to experience the city from a different perspective. With Boston hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and other major events, millions of visitors were expected to navigate a city that is famously difficult to navigate. These signs provide information on local transportation points or routes to government offices like City Hall. The Wayfinder Initiative installed about 40 signs across the downtown area, stretching from North Station and Canal Street to Beacon Hill and the Public Garden, to the Greenway at Essex Street in Chinatown. I focused on evaluating the effectiveness of these signs. I audited the different zones, observing whether pedestrians were using the signs, documenting damage or vandalism, and identifying opportunities for improvement. I loved this project because it allowed me to step away from a desk and walk through the city I was working to improve. There was something especially meaningful about spending part of my internship walking Boston’s streets, observing how people interacted with the public realm, and thinking about how small interventions could make the city easier and more welcoming to navigate. I also collected and analyzed information on public-realm interventions and tactical urbanism projects to help evaluate their utilization and effectiveness and inform future downtown activation strategies.
Outside of City Hall, I attended the Mayor’s Coffee Hours in Fenway and the North End, where I had the opportunity to hear the Mayor and local leaders answer questions directly from residents, discuss progress, and talk about future goals. Experiences like these helped me better understand how much of local government happens outside formal meetings and policy documents.
I came into the PAC knowing that I wanted to work in policy and urban planning, but without knowing exactly what aspect of government I wanted to pursue. My academic interests span international relations, public health, and urban studies, and I have long been fascinated by issues ranging from foreign aid and sustainable development to housing and climate-displaced refugees. I did not expect persistent storefront vacancies to become one of the issues I cared about. Yet that is one of the things I appreciated most about this internship: it exposed me to problems I had never considered and showed me how many different paths there are to improving a city.
I also leave the internship with a much stronger understanding of what it means to work in government. I learned how to conduct policy research, write a government report, analyze existing programs and policies, interview practitioners, and present findings to decision-makers. More importantly, I learned that good government is often less about having the perfect answer and more about being willing to ask questions, listen to others, learn from what has worked elsewhere, and continuously improve.
I am incredibly grateful to have interned with the PAC, and especially grateful to Joy Armstrong, Astha Soni, and Katharine Lusk for their kindness, guidance, and support throughout the summer. Even though I spent only two months with the PAC, I feel incredibly fortunate to have contributed in a small way to the work of the City of Boston.
Boston is incredibly special to me. Although I have only lived here for two years as a college student, I have been coming to the city my entire life. The opportunity to contribute to the direction of a city I have chosen to call home was not only inspiring, but motivating. I hope that someday, when I look back on my career in public service, I will see this summer with the Planning Advisory Council as one of the places where that career truly began. I hope that I can give back to Boston for far more than two months to a city that has already given me so much.