Project for Public Spaces

WHO WE ARE

Sandy Pan

Manager, Training Programs

With a background in urban planning and with a fervent energy for making higher-quality, nurturing public places, Sandy came to PPS to work on a variety of projects. Her focus now lies on developing and managing PPS curriculum, speaking engagements, and training programs.

Her work at PPS has included publication management and production; management, planning, and research for parks, squares, and downtowns projects; initiation & implementation of new office events; and coordination of training courses and programs. Some of the projects and programs she has worked on include:

  • The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking
  • How to Turn a Place Around, Streets as Places, and other training courses
  • Action and management plan for Carwin Park in Stamford, CT
  • Community workshop facilitation for the Clinton Hell’s Kitchen Pedestrian Coalition, NYC
  • Design and programming plan for Park Central Square in Springfield, MO
  • Design and management plan for Market Square in Pittsburgh, PA
  • Management and programming plan for the Greenbridge Central Plaza in Seattle WA

Prior to working at PPS, Sandy held a variety of community-oriented jobs. At Alliance for the Arts, she researched the economic impact of New York City’s arts industry, specifically the revitalizing trends that follow arts into neighborhoods. Within the New York City Department of Planning, she interned in the Technical Review Division. She consolidated zoning and city map changes into an ArcGIS database, and assisted in the creation of a continuous zoning GIS map.

At Hunter College, she was a key team member of the JP Morgan Chase Planning Studio, coordinating the product development for not-for-profit Los Sures Community Development Corporation, Inc to develop affordable senior housing in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She also was the graduate assistant for Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Ph.D. on a Participatory Planning with Youth Research project. As the President of the Hunter College Graduate Students of Urban Affairs and Planning, she organized and facilitated student activities and connections amongst students, faculty, and New York City urbanists. Sandy also served as a peer and prospective student advisor in academic and career choices.

Previous to urban planning, she managed a quick-service restaurant in Boston, MA. Currently, she volunteers time with the Hester Street Collaborative and serves as an Advisory Board member to a developing non-profit, Bridge Builders.

Education

City University of New York, Hunter College, Master of Urban Planning, 2006

Brown University, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2002