Editor’s note: People of UW is a human interest series produced by The Badger Herald staff members. The series aims to highlight a student or student group at the University of Wisconsin making an impact on the campus community. These Q&As are lightly edited for clarity and style. 

Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

My name is Norah Justinger. I am a junior here at Madison, double-majoring in landscape and urban studies and human geography. 
I’m from Kohler, Wisconsin, and currently here at UW, I am the editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Urbanist. 

What inspired you to study urban planning? 

In high school, I did an internship with an urban planning consulting firm. 
And while I was there, I realized that urban planning really dictates the way that we, as a society, move and interact with one another, along with our environmental health. And so, I became incredibly interested in it, and coming to school, it just further verified that I believe planning is something that is incredibly necessary and often not spoken about. And I want to be somebody who makes it more accessible for people to understand, engage with, and recognize. 


So what is the Wisconsin Urban Planning Association? 

The Wisconsin Urban Planning Association is an undergraduate club that focuses on connecting students who have an interest in planning with one another, where we can form a community of like-minded individuals. The club also provides students with networking opportunities. We’ve brought in government officials from the Sun Prairie Planning Department, and we’ve had other individuals come in and speak about discriminatory language and housing documents. We just want to open students’ minds to what planning can consist of and how it is incredibly interdisciplinary.

So what is the Wisconsin Urbanist? 

The Wisconsin Urbanist is a student run academic journal that is completely peer reviewed and focuses on urban planning. We give students who are interested in planning the opportunity to write an article, whether it’s an interview with a professor whom they respect or it is a topic that they’re incredibly passionate about, have done research in, or have experience in. We want to give students that outlet to discuss with others and dive into the field of urban planning on their own time. 

So last semester, your 1st article was published, tell me about the significance of accessible city design for seniors. 


So last year, I published an article that was focusing on accessible city design and public policy for seniors. What is really unique about our cities right now is that they’re often created with able bodied and younger individuals in mind. And that can leave our senior population incredibly ostracized. They don’t have easy mobility in public transportation, and seniors are also facing crisis with their social security and funding, and they’re in homes that might cost more than they are able to pay. And so taking all of that into account, I wanted to focus on how we can make cities more accessible and affordable and welcoming to seniors who have helped build the communities that we live in. 

Now that you’ve taken on the position as editor-in-chief, what are some of your goals? 

I think my biggest goal as editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Urbanist would be getting planning out there, and allowing people to understand what urban planning is. I know coming to college, a lot of people needed me to explain it and wanted to understand more about it. And I think that it is so integral in our daily lives. Cities dictate the way that we live day in and day out. And so I want people to understand what planning is, and there are so many ways that you can engage with it, whether that’s with private companies or public forums, and city design is often done through our local government and so I just want to encourage people to engage with it in whatever way feels appropriate. 


How can UW students get involved with WUPA? 

We have meetings every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Music Hall. We have an Instagram, which is the Wisconsin Urban Planning Association, and feel free to follow us. And if you have any questions, you can DM us. We have really great communications people, and then you can always reach out to me as well if you’re interested in getting involved in the Urbanist. 


And finally, how has this experience shaped your time at UW and your career goals? 

I think what I’ve really loved is learning that there are other people who share the same values and principles that I have, and I’m able to engage in really meaningful, academic discussions with them to further how I see our cities and how we can make them better. Then additionally, the Urbanist has truly allowed me to explore my passions, not for grades, but because I care deeply about them and I want to catalyze a form of change. 
And so I really like that the urbanist gives me that open-ended forum to discuss what I think is important in our cities today.