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Urban Design & Planning Interdisciplinary Ph.D.

November 25 – Christine Bae and Hoseok Sa: The Long Wave of Seattle’s Economic Growth 

The second research seminar of the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning for the Autumn quarter will be held on November 25, from 12:30 to 1:30 PM in Gould 440. The presenters are Christine Bae, PhD, an Associate Professor at the Department of Urban Design and Planning, and Hoseok Sa, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Urban Design and Planning.

TITLE

The Long Wave of Seattle’s Economic Growth

ABSTRACT

The seminar topic is an extension of my talk in Daegu, South Korea, in September. It is a good time to step back and reflect on how the Seattle region’s economy has grown, how planning policies have responded, and what the future could be.  The first part of the talk focuses on the economic tycoons of Seattle, why Seattle, and the planning responses. For the second part, we will present recent labor-market changes in the private sector, which were mainly affected by AI development.  We invite lively discussions, especially for the latter part and the possible futures.

BIO

Christine Bae, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Urban Design and Planning.  Her research covered a broad range of topics in the intersection of sustainable transportation and the environment, urban containment policies, and regional economic inequality.  The geographic areas of her research included the Seattle and Los Angeles Metropolitan Areas and South Korea. She teaches Introduction to Urban Planning, Sustainable Transportation and the Environment, Climate Action Plans, and Megacity Planning – Case of Seoul.

Hoseok Sa is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington. His research explores the socio-economic impacts of technological development and digital technologies on urban space. His research interests span transportation planning and policy, with a primary focus on how information and communication technologies shape travel behaviors and on the intersection of climate change, public health, and built environments. His recent work examined how remote work influenced job accessibility across different populations. Before starting his Ph.D. journey, he worked as a senior researcher at the Industrial Location Research Institute of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation. He performed several research projects on new industries, human capital attraction, and digital technologies from the perspectives of regional economic development and economic geography. He holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Seoul National University and a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Administration from the University of Seoul.