It all started with the ‘L’ train in Chicago. I must have been seven or eight, face pressed against the glass, watching the city’s grid unfold below me – a living, breathing machine of steel, glass, and people. It wasn’t just a commute; it was a lesson in urban anatomy. I didn’t know the terms “urban design” or “planning” back then, of course. I just knew I was captivated by why some blocks felt alive and others… didn’t.
That early fascination never really left me. It followed me through a B.S. in Urban Planning at the University of Illinois and then all the way to a Master’s in Urban Design from Harvard’s GSD. I cut my teeth at a massive firm-Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)-right back in my hometown. The scale of the projects was immense, global even. It was an incredible education in how big things get built.
But something kept nagging at me. The human scale.
I kept coming back to that kid on the train. What makes a place feel right? It’s rarely the height of the skyscraper or the width of the freeway. It’s the stuff on the ground-the walkable street, the well-placed park bench, the storefront that invites you in.
So, I took a leap and founded Vance Urban Collaborative here in Austin a decade ago. We’re a smaller, more focused practice. We get our hands dirty working with communities to build places that serve people, not just master plans.
My Core Beliefs are Simple:
- A city’s greatest asset is its people.
- Public space is a democratic right.
- Sustainability isn’t a feature; it’s the foundation.
I’m an AICP certified planner, but honestly, my most valuable insights come from walking. And cycling. (And my slightly obsessive urban photography hobby). You can’t understand a city from a boardroom. You have to experience its rhythm, its friction, its moments of unexpected beauty.
Everything I write here is an extension of that belief. My goal isn’t to lecture-it’s to share what I’ve learned from over two decades in the trenches of American urbanism. I promise to be honest, to ground my ideas in real-world experience, and to always, always remember that we’re designing for people. Because at the end of the day, a city is nothing more than a home we all share.
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Author: Julian Vance
Age: 46
Born: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Education:
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (B.S., Urban & Regional Planning)
- Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Master of Architecture in Urban Design)
- Certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
Employment:
- Vance Urban Collaborative (Founder & Principal)
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) (Former Senior Urban Designer)