Jake Boxrud Email & Phone Number

While I began my Masters of Urban Planning program in September 2022, my interest in urban planning and transportation goes back many years. The many day trips my family took to Chicago when I was young introduced me to large urban settings, and even at that young age I was always curious about how cities functioned and what it was like to live in one.I finally got that chance during my undergraduate studies, when I spent a semester abroad in Hong Kong. I knew then that I wanted to live in and learn more about urban areas, and this desire lead me to accept a teaching position in Beijing, China, a city I called home for five years (with many travels in-between). Through these travels, I got to experience firsthand wildly different transportation systems, from being a regular user of the world's busiest subway system (Beijing) to the small and informal tuk-tuk system widely used in Bangkok, Thailand. After returning to the U.S, it is difficult not to see the transportation and urban issues that are common in the U.S. On the other hand, it has been heartening to meet so many who are actively working to improve conditions here, and I'm proud to be joining them in this exciting field. I can't wait to use my experiences from my masters program and my travels to continue building better, more equitable cities for all!