Seminar: CITY420: Seeking Spatial Justice
Semester: Fall 2025
Faculty Advisor/Professor: Lauren Restrepo
Community Partner: HNTB
Praxis Site Supervisor: Danelle Hunter
Praxis Poster:
5 Hazany _Palomino_Hazany Palomino Praxis Poster Revised
Further Context:
This semester, I spent my time as a Transit Planning intern at HNTB. I sat with the Planning team in the Philadelphia location. I had the opportunity to intern at the company over the summer, and I had such a great experience that I wanted to continue my time there!
In re-starting my internship through the Praxis program, I developed objectives and goals I wanted to guide my experience at HNTB this semester, specifically as it relates to the course theme of spatial justice. The three objectives I created are:
1) Reflect on the ethical responsibilities of planners and practitioners by examining how decisions about space impact equity, inclusion, and community well being.
2) Thoughtfully engage with community members to strengthen the connection between planning practice and community priorities.
3) Gain the ability to translate theoretical ideas about spatial justice into accessible frameworks that can inform dialogue and action amongst practitioners and community members.
These objectives not only serve as a framing reference for my experiences at HNTB, but these are also framing objectives I plan to carry with me into future endeavors. Specifically, as it relates to the role of planners and practitioners in thoughtfully engaging and delivering equitable projects—at any scale—is a consideration I have thought extensively on as I prepare myself for a career in planning.
One project I worked on over the semester was a micromobility pitch for a potential client. This project consisted of conducting spatial analyses identifying gaps in Philadelphia’s bike and micromobility network and proposing solutions to bridge this gap to enhance connectivity across the city.
The main project I worked on for much of my time at HNTB was an extension of my work over the summer. The project is a major roadway and transit redesign project for Roosevelt Boulevard, a 14-mile corridor in Northeast Philadelphia. This project is a planning study that will propose one roadway redesign: a Neighborhood Boulevard and Partially Capped Expressway and one new transit service: a Subway, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), or Light Rail Transit (LRT). The main objective of this project is to create a safer and more reliable Boulevard for all users, including pedestrians, bikers, transit riders, and drivers. Work on the project has included preparing materials for upcoming rounds of community engagement. This has included analyzing data to identify areas for improved engagement, creating educational and promotional materials, and attending community outreach events to inform the public about the project. This project has offered me thoughtful insight into the processes and impacts of infrastructure projects on local communities. Importantly, I have learned that transit solutions are not prescriptive. Effective mobility strategies must adapt to local context, priorities, and constraints rather than follow a one-size fits-all formula. This is accomplished by thoughtfully engaging the communities about the project impacts because when residents help shape decisions, solutions gain legitimacy and better reflect lived experience.