Jess Chen
New York Metropolitan Area
(323)719-3911
cccjess@umich.edu
Junior urban designer/planner/researcher/architectural designer.
Currently an urban design and planning research assistant at the University of Michigan, with prior work as an architectural designer in Taiwan.
Project experience includes community research and institutional and housing design.
Interested in transportation, public space, and people-centered urban environments.
COLLABORATION_
Designing cities through dialogue and teamwork to create human-centered, sustainable spaces.
ORGANIZATION_
Structuring complex ideas into clear, efficient, and thoughtful design outcomes, balancing creativity with technical precision to create practical and inspiring projects.
HIGH MOTIVATION_
Driven by curiosity to explore patterns, histories, and human experience to shape inclusive, people-centered living environments.
// Education
Master of Urban Design
Aug 2023 - Dec 2024
Michigan, United States
Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning
University of Michigan (UM)
3.87 / 4.00
Bachelor of Architecture
Sep 2016 - June 2021
Taichung, Taiwan
Department of Architecture
Tunghai University (THU)
3.36 / 4.00
// Professional Experience
Research Assistant
Sep 2024 - present
Ann Arbor, MI, US
Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, UM
Principal Investigator: María Arquero de Alarcón
- Data visualization—a book proposal, “The Disaggregated City: The Afterlife of Leftover Spaces in Deindustrializing Detroit,” about 5 neighborhoods in Detroit.
- Community engagement—cooperated with the Grixdale Farms neighborhood in a Detroit project, “Telling Place! Marks, Signs, and Echoes to Share Our Stories.”
- Dearborn greenbelts and land use research visualization.
- Website curation.
Architectural Designer
Aug 2021 - Aug 2022
Taipei, Taiwan
H.T.S. Associates Architects + Engineers
- Renovation of National Taiwan Science Education Center’s experimental theater in site survey, DD, CD, MEP coordination, document (14,300 sf)
- Renovation of National Taiwan Science Education Center’s Science Resource Center (Library) and International Conference Hall in site survey, DD, CD, MEP coordination, document (3,600 sf)
Architectural Intern
July - Aug 2020
Taipei, Taiwan
33 Design |
KAI Architecture
- Pre-design hospitality project in Awaji Island, Japan, in SD, case studies review, data analysis, and research.
- Pre-design metro station in diagram production and site survey
- Taipei Wego Preschool in Taipei, Taiwan, in SD and physical model.
Architectural Intern
July - Aug 2018
Taipei, Taiwan
K.C.L. Architecture
- Multi-family complex housing in New Taipei City, Taiwan, in SD, Photoshop rendering, document.
// Involvement
Publication Contribution
April 2025 - present
Detroit, MI
The Disaggregated City: The Afterlife of Leftover Spaces in Deindustrializing Detroit
Co-authors:
Martin Murray,
María Arquero de Alarcón, Olaia
Chivite Amigo
Mapping, data research and visualization, and layout.
MORE
Community Engagement
May 2025 - present
Detroit, MI
Telling Place! Marks, Signs, and Echoes to Share Our Stories
In partnership with: The Grixdale Farms Residents Association
Mapping, fieldwork, consultation, and sign design. MORE
Community Engagement
May - Aug 2024
São Paulo, Brazil
Peripheral Centralities
Instructor: María Arquero de Alarcón
Mapping, fieldwork, consultation, documentation, and dissemination with the
São Paulo
housing movement. MORE
Event General Coordinator
Aug - Dec 2019
Taichung, Taiwan
Student Association of Architecture Department, THU
Event: 2019 Christmas party
Directing execution for over 80 members across 4 departments in THU.
Extracurricular Activity
July 2019
Rome, Italy
Architecture Design Summer Workshop, THU
Instructors: Yechiang Huang, Tsungyen Hsieh, Weihsiang Tseng,
Jan Gadeyne, Luca Galofar
Integrating insights from Roman architecture into our design concepts during the workshop, while spending a month learning about its architectural history and immersing ourselves in the local culture. MORE
// Skills
Graphic, Motion, Documentation
Adobe Creative Suite, MS Office
Drawings, Mapping, Modeling
AutoCAD, ArcGIS, Rhino, Revit, Sketchup, Enscape, D5, V-Ray, Lumion
LanguagesEnglish (Proficient), Mandarin (Native)
// Memberships
American Planning Association
(APA)
Member ID #452192
American Institute of Architects
(AIA)
Member ID #40879082