Yingzhi He shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Yingzhi, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’d say I’m wandering with direction. As a designer, I love exploring different cultures, ideas, and urban conditions, and that curiosity often leads me to unexpected places. My projects have taken me around the world—from China to New York, Boston, and Tunisia—each site teaching me something new about how people live, move, and connect. I don’t see design as a fixed path but as an evolving journey, where wandering helps me discover new meanings and keep creativity alive while still moving toward the goal of creating more human and inspiring cities.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Yingzhi, and I’m an urban designer and architectural researcher dedicated to rethinking how cities evolve around mobility, ecology, and human interaction. I hold a Master’s degree in Urban Design from the Harvard, where my work explored how transportation nodes—like airports and high-speed rail stations—can become dynamic urban destinations.
What makes my practice special is that I’m always drawn to the most forward-thinking urban questions—how cities adapt to rapid growth, infrastructure, and new forms of public life. For example, my Airport Urban District project reimagines the future of airport-centered cities, while my Horizontal Skyscraper concept challenges traditional vertical urban density by creating continuous, interconnected public landscapes.
Right now, my team and I are rethinking the public realm around the Chinatown area in Las Vegas, exploring how design and public transportation can make the neighborhood greener, more walkable, and more vibrant.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
The person who taught me the most about work was my professor from the Airport Studio at Harvard. He had this amazing way of making us step back and see the bigger picture — not just how a project looks now, but how it will live and grow decades from now. His studio really changed how I think about urban design; it taught me that great cities are built with time, patience, and sustainability in mind. That lesson stays with me every time I start a new project.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell my younger self to stay curious and keep exploring. As an international student, moving across countries and working on projects in places like China, New York, Boston, and Tunisia taught me that every culture and city has its own rhythm and story to tell. Curiosity has always guided me—whether I’m walking through a new neighborhood or designing a public space—and it’s that openness to learning from different places that keeps my work alive and evolving.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
A belief I used to hold tightly but now realize was naive is that things — whether people, situations, or decisions — don’t really change once they’re made. I used to think that once something was set in motion, it would just stay that way, fixed and unmovable. Over time, though, I’ve learned that change is actually one of the few constants in life. People grow, perspectives shift, and even what once seemed permanent can evolve in unexpected ways. Letting go of that rigid mindset has made me more adaptable, open-minded, and forgiving — both toward others and myself.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I feel like I was born to do things that involve design and architecture — creating, shaping spaces, and bringing ideas to life through form and structure has always felt natural to me. But as I’ve grown and experienced more of life, I’ve realized that the purpose behind what I do keeps evolving. At first, it was about expressing creativity; later, it became about solving problems, and now it’s about creating environments that genuinely improve how people live and feel. My life experiences — the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and even the challenges I’ve faced — have all reshaped the “why” behind my work. I’m not just doing what I was told to do or even what I was born to do; I’m continuously redefining my purpose through what I’ve lived and learned.
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