Planner Profile: Meet Luis Balderrama, AICP
Planner Profile is a series spotlighting the unique experiences of our peers who are making a difference in the profession and at APA.
Luis "Will" Balderrama, AICP, is a military planner and a member of the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association. He lives in Huntsville, Alabama.
Luis "Will" Balderrama, AICP. Photo courtesy of Luis "Will" Balderrama.
How did you discover planning as a profession?
I discovered planning as a profession by accident! I originally wanted to be an architect, but wanted something that had less math.
I was initially drawn to planning, without me knowing it, by SimCity on the DS and by creating cities in Minecraft. I loved playing SimCity. I absolutely loved being able to create cities and watch them develop over the ages. I discovered urban planning while researching architecture as a career choice. I genuinely thought to myself, "Wow, I can play SimCity in real life, and it has less math as a college requirement!" I already had a strong fascination with cities, so that also helped a lot.
If you could create the perfect community, what would it be like?
If I had to create the perfect community, it would be a mixture of European-style development patterns (walkable, dense urban cores) with a variety of American-style architecture. I tend to recreate this idea in Cities: Skylines a lot!
What are some of your favorite parts of Cities: Skylines, and how do you use the game to inform your work?
Cities: Skylines is by far one of my favorite city builders. I spend a lot of time creating cities and regions that have unique histories. In all the places I build, I ensure they are multimodal, and I try to follow the transect model mostly. My builds tend to be a bit denser. I also incorporate large, unique parks that reflect the original habitats of the region.
I love to use lots of middle housing types. My current build is a growing seaside region focused primarily on agriculture — for now.
What aspect of your work have you found most fulfilling?
I work as a military planner. In my position, I help create facility investment plans for the United States Army Reserve and National Guard. I spend a lot of time analyzing and presenting data to stakeholders. I get to travel the country to some really cool places. That is fun plus.
The aspect that I find the most fulfilling is seeing how stakeholders come together to build plans. The collaboration and communication that are required really help bring people together — if you have an engaged group!
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