I also took videos throughout the trip to highlight our experiences. I’ve compiled them here–check it out!

Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Amsterdam

This May, I studied abroad in the European Cities and Sustainable Urban Planning Practices program. We visited Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, and Amsterdam to examine their city planning practices and analyze sustainable urban design. The program included group case studies to key sites of interest, visiting urban design and architecture firms, meeting with city officials, and discussing how different practices could be brought back to the United States.

The night before I left for our trip to Europe, I faced a suitcase dilemma. I had one carry-on sized suitcase that barely zipped shut because it was so full, and one medium sized suitcase that held everything and left space for souvenirs if I wanted to take anything back. My parents told me to take the bigger one, but I knew that would be a bad move if we found ourselves running through train stations. I panicked about it in the 24 hours leading up to my departure, switching to the small carry-on sized suitcase only minutes before I left for the airport.

The reality was that I wasn’t actually concerned about which suitcase I brought. It’s true that bringing the larger one would have been much more difficult to manage when traveling, but it wouldn’t have changed my experience on this trip and what I got out of it. The suitcase fiasco just masked the fact that I was freaking out. I had never been out of the country before, and had only been on a plane a handful of times. I could easily recite that I was going to learn about sustainable urban planning practices and that I would be stepping out of my comfort zone, but I didn’t understand what that truly meant. I knew I’d learn from the diverse perspectives of my peers, but I didn’t know how much. I was excited, but as my mind raced with what-if’s the night before, I began to realize that I had no idea what to expect. The unknown terrifies me, and there were a lot of unknowns before heading to Europe for three weeks.

This experience allowed me to learn so much about urban planning, and how other cities in the world function. I recently added City and Regional Planning as a second major, and the experiences on this trip confirmed my passion for it. I got to see what sustainable cities looked like–how to implement successful biking infrastructure, how cities can repurpose their old buildings, and so much more. I learned more about how attention to small details can make a huge impact, and how the cities we visited plan with people in mind. Each city challenged me to think beyond my conventional understanding of urban planning, and each one offered so much to learn.

I saw buildings that were built before the United States had been founded, making me question the resilience our structures today. While we sometimes try to focus on historic preservation, many of our buildings cannot maintain their structures as long as they can in Europe. This made me question why we build everything with the materials we do, and how we can move towards building long-lasting buildings and more sustainable construction practices. Another fascinating experience was biking in each European city. A lot of our cities do not have comprehensive bike infrastructure, and being able to get anywhere easily on bikes completely changed how we interacted with a city. There were essentially no transportation barriers to where we could go, and it was exciting knowing that we could get anywhere at any moment. If for some reason biking wasn’t feasible, the public transit systems could fill that gap. This keeps these cities interconnected and allows all people to enjoy different spaces.

I now have a better understanding of what career path I want to take because of this trip, as I could talk about these topics forever. I learned to question the conventional way of doing things, and how to think outside of the box to solve every day problems. I learned more about planning as a profession, and how much the decisions that planners make impact the lives of everyone. Furthermore, I did step out of my comfort zone, and I now understand what that truly means. I tried to keep an open mind throughout the trip, willing to try new food or experiences. I was much more open to trying new things there than I usually am at home, and I’m glad I was. I tried things that I probably never would have at home, and found that I really liked them. As my first trip abroad, I also realized how little of the world I’ve seen. These experiences have made me want to travel more, moving it to one of my main academic goals. We have so much to learn from areas outside of where we live, and I hope to take every opportunity to do so.