Bio

A sociologist focused on urban life, community development, housing, and resource access.

 

Ariana live from the streets of NYC in the Winter of 2020 / Image courtesy of Alex Rios

 
 

About me

Hi there! My name is Ariana, and my research interests lie at the intersection of neighborhood change, city planning, and public policy. I am currently wrapping up my MA thesis at Brooklyn College, in the Sociology department, and work as a Senior Program Manager for Policy & Research at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods.

Working as a barista in a few different cities in the U.S., in both corporate and mom-and-pop settings, I became especially attuned to the community formation and social networking that takes place within neighborhood hotspots, or third spaces, like them. And while working as a dog walker in Lower Manhattan, I became deeply fascinated with how the footprints of cities directly influence the social fabrics of neighborhoods. Being on the ground upwards of ten hours a day, I came to view the zoning of different neighborhoods, their housing stock, public-transportation access, grocery stores/delis, commercial make up, and the social sorting unfolding within them critically. Thus, when I began my MA at Brooklyn College in the fall of 2018, I was resolved to learn more about the political, economic, and social forces that have shaped cities.

I am drawn to policy analysis and to research where I can break down and visualize social issues. Ideal professional roles put my qualitative and quantitative skills to work helping vulnerable communities to get access to the resources they need in order to thrive in urban contexts.

I have LinkedIn and Twitter if you are interested in connecting. But feel free to shoot me an email if old-school communication is more your style.

One last note: all images and maps featured on the site are mine unless otherwise noted.