The Initiative on Cities (IOC) is excited to announce that Ellie Nakasone-Amaguin (CAS ’26) has been awarded the IOC Student Prize for the 2026 school year. Ellie is an Architectural Studies student and will be pursuing a master’s degree in Urban Planning at Columbia University this fall. The $1,000 prize is presented annually to one BU senior graduating with a minor in Urban Studies. We asked Ellie to introduce herself and describe her experience as a Terrier and as an Urban Studies minor.
Meet Ellie
Introduce yourself! What did you study? What were some things you were involved in as a college student? What do you like to do for fun?
Hello! My name is Ellie Nakasone-Amaguin, and I am an Architectural Studies major and Urban Studies minor in the College of Arts and Sciences here at BU. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, which influenced my decision to study architecture–and later, urbanism–after graduating high school. Homelessness and a lack of affordable housing supply are significant urban issues in Honolulu, and I wanted to learn how the architecture and urban planning fields can assist and uplift communities that face these challenges.
I actually started my college career at Middlebury College in Vermont where I also majored in Architectural Studies; outside of class, I was a member of the school’s activities board and orchestra. After transferring to Boston University, I served as a research assistant for Professor Alice Tseng of the History of Art and Architecture department, which involved researching Japanese architecture showcased at world’s fairs throughout history. Last year, I spent my semester abroad studying in Venice, Italy, where I had the opportunity to develop my skills in architectural softwares, design, and sketching.
Summer internship experiences I had in both the homebuilding and planning consulting fields are what influenced my specific interests in land use, affordable housing production, urban design, and zoning regulations. I currently work part-time for one of the companies I interned with, Munekiyo Hiraga, a planning consulting firm based in Hawai’i. Outside of my educational and professional endeavors, I enjoy drawing, painting, reading, playing Pokémon, and building Gundam or LEGO models. Whenever I’m at home, I try to go to the beach and spend time with my family and friends as much as possible.
Why did you decide to minor in urban studies? What inspired you to add urban studies, and what have you learned from your urban studies minor?
One of the reasons why I transferred to BU was actually because of my interest in the Urban Studies minor. I feel that students studying architecture or the built environment learn the best when they understand how the cities they live in are planned or designed, and which communities this benefits. I declared a minor in Urban Studies as soon as I transferred because I liked that the curriculum required me to use Boston as a case study to examine the city’s urban issues, planning history, and initiatives for community-driven development.
My favorite courses from the Urban Studies minor include Boston’s People and Neighborhoods with Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino, Urban Sociology with Professor Steven Schmidt, and Urban Anthropology with Professor Ayşe Parla. All the courses involved fieldwork, research, and conversations with Boston residents, which I believed were essential to my immersing myself in Boston. Through these courses, I learned a great deal about the characteristics and demographics of Boston’s neighborhoods and the causes of mixed-use development, gentrification, and increasing housing costs within them. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity these courses gave me to meet and befriend Boston residents, all of whom helped me understand the city more deeply.
What are your plans after graduation?
This summer, I will be interning at Munekiyo Hiraga again before moving to New York in the fall to pursue a Master of Science in Urban Planning at Columbia University. I am excited to take courses related to affordable housing, zoning, and gentrification, specifically in the New York City area. I also look forward to taking advantage of the faster public transportation there by riding the NYC Subway–sorry, MBTA!
Do you have any advice for students considering the urban studies minor?
I recommend that anyone with an interest in the built environment should take at least one course within the Urban Studies minor and see if they like it! Within this program, that interest can be explored through various courses in the sociology, architecture, political science, geography, anthropology, and history departments, to name a few. I also think that what’s great about the Urban Studies minor is that it requires you to take courses that pertain to both the urban environment and socioeconomic topics, so you are constantly encouraged to study what may (at first) be unfamiliar to you. On a more personal note, I find that being on the BU campus and in close proximity to Back Bay, Fenway, the South End, and Allston makes BU students comfortable with the many things to do in these areas. However, as I’ve learned from BU’s Urban Studies courses, there is much more to do and explore in Boston; use this time as a BU student to learn as much as you can about the greater Boston area, both inside and outside of the classroom!