Designing More Equitable Cities Through Global Perspective

Jingze Wang (China, UWC Atlantic, Bates College’24), a Politics major with a minor in Japanese, had a transformative study abroad experience in Japan through the Associated Kyoto Program, which reshaped his life’s direction entirely. Thinking back on that time, Jingze says, “Studying abroad in Kyoto was the happiest time of my life, and it unexpectedly introduced me to what would become my lifelong passion.”

 While in Kyoto, Jingze discovered Green Legacy Hiroshima, a global volunteer organization sharing messages of hope through ginkgo trees grown from seeds that survived the 1945 atomic bombing. Determined to bring this mission home, he navigated a complex coordination process to make Bates the first Maine institution to host a survivor tree seedling. Today, Bates stands proudly among 146 partner institutions across 41 countries that have such a survivor tree.

 Living in Japan also opened Jingze’s eyes to how human centric urban design—walkable streets and accessible public transit—elevates quality of life. Returning to Lewiston, Maine, he recognized the inequitable transportation challenges facing those without cars. When he learned about Maine Department of Transportation’s plans for a commuter bus line connecting Lewiston-Auburn to Portland, Jingze successfully advocated to relocate the campus stop to a central location and the construction of a bus shelter, dramatically improving student access to the city.

 These experiences sparked Jingze’s passion for urban planning. His senior thesis examined policy diffusion of bike lanes across American municipalities. In September 2025, Jingze joined Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Master in Urban Planning program, ready to contribute to creating more equitable, sustainable communities. “At Harvard, I hope to bring international perspectives into every project. The renowned urban planner Jeff Speck once wrote that the greatest barrier to solving complex urban problems is not a lack of creativity, but a lack of broad knowledge of the world’s 10,000 great urban places. I’m grateful that my global education, from UWC to Bates, has given me a foundation to pursue better design by drawing on best practices from around the world.”

This profile is part of the “Graduates in Action” series from the 2026 Annual Report