Curriculum Vitae · October 2026
Sarah Da Yei Kim
Urban researcher and planner | M.S. in Urban Planning, Columbia University
Download CV (PDF)Research Interests
Housing systems; social stratification and inequality; stigmatization and class identity; gentrification and displacement; urban political economy; critical urban theory
Education
Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Thesis: Beyond Shelter: The Role of Korean Apartment Complexes in Middle-Class Identity and Social Stratification in Seoul. Advisor: Tom Slater. Nominated for the GSAPP Thesis/Capstone Award.
Yokohama National University
Four-year merit-based scholarship recipient; graduation thesis compared drivers of urban development in Korean and European cities.
Exchange
Selected Research and Writing
Beyond Shelter: The Role of Korean Apartment Complexes in Middle-Class Identity and Social Stratification in Seoul
Mixed-methods study of apartment housing as a symbolic and material mechanism of class stratification and stigmatization in Seoul, combining interviews, GIS-based spatial analysis, and digital discourse and search-trend analysis.
Development for the Public? Gentrification and Displacement as the End of the World for Some
Examines state-led redevelopment in Seoul’s Ahyeon New Town through rent-gap theory, the revanchist city, and Peter Marcuse’s typology of displacement, focusing on displacement, renter exclusion, and the multidimensional loss of home.
Mapping Displacement and Gentrification: A Machine Learning Approach to Brooklyn’s Urban Change
Applied machine-learning classification models to evaluate displacement patterns in Brooklyn using Peter Marcuse’s typology of displacement.
Gentrification in Williamsburg: How Rezoning Changed the Neighborhood
Conducted a longitudinal GIS analysis of demographic, housing, and land-use change after the 2005 Williamsburg rezoning; selected for the 2024 GSAPP End-of-Year Show.
Public Rental Housing in South Korea: Stigmatization and Failure of Social Mix
Examines the stigmatization of public housing and its residents and the limitations of social-mix policies in South Korea.
Presentations
Beyond Shelter: The Role of Korean Apartment Complexes in Middle-Class Identity and Social Stratification in Seoul
Gentrification in Williamsburg: How Rezoning Changed the Neighborhood
Selected Awards
Excellent Poster Award
GSAPP End-of-Year Show Selection
CEO Award for Performance and Contribution
Full Merit-Based Scholarship
Professional Experience
Program Coordinator
Plan and coordinate performing arts and educational programs, including operations, community outreach, audience surveys, marketing, and program evaluation.
Capital Planning Intern
Managed public-school electrification and sustainability initiatives and supported interagency coordination, project-cost analysis, and regulatory interpretation.
Led a site review of prospective school locations in Queens, integrating site conditions, planning context, and relevant New York City local laws into recommendations.
Sales and Project Manager
Led delivery of a $125 million turnkey battery energy storage project in California, overseeing schedules, subcontractors, project risk, and cross-functional coordination.
Closed a $600 million, 2.4 GWh grid-scale storage agreement and conducted cost, profitability, market, and policy analyses to inform strategy and partnerships.
Project Assistant Intern
Structured Seoul public-policy cases for the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform and supported program operations and knowledge exchange among Asia-Pacific member cities.
Disaster Risk Management Intern
Analyzed disaster-risk-reduction strategies across Korean member cities with a focus on public policy and local government administration.
Methods and Technical Skills
Research methods
Qualitative interviews, mixed methods, spatial analysis, machine learning, digital discourse analysis
Geospatial and data
ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, R, Python
Design and web
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Figma, HTML, JavaScript
Languages and Membership
Korean (native) | English (near-native) | Japanese (fluent; JLPT N1) | French (basic)