Internships

Yuliia Polozova

Yuliia is a master’s student within the EIT Urban Mobility Master School program, beginning her internship with Pedestrian Space in Spring 2026. Having lived in several different countries, she has developed a growing curiosity about how public space is experienced and understood across different local contexts.

Through her past work, Yuliia has seen how public space is planned, designed, and transformed; however, usually from a structural or technical perspective. Her internship at Pedestrian Space will allow her to approach the topic from a different angle by observing the ways in which people interact with public space during daily life and how storytelling influences the way urban innovations are perceived and discussed.

Yuliia’s current thesis work is focused on understanding the communication of urban changes in Poland as they unfold and the ways in which those contribute to the broader conversation around urban mobility in Europe.

Read more about Yuliia’s work during her Pedestrian Space internship here: https://pedestrianspace.org/tag/yuliia-polozova/

Savannah Siekierski

Savannah pursued her internship at Pedestrian Space in Autumn 2025, as a Master’s student in Urban Studies at ULB/VUB in Brussels. Particularly interested in bridging the fields of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience with urbanism to explore how people feel, perceive, and connect to their environments, her research focuses on the subjective and sensory experience of urban space, with a special emphasis on walking as an embodied practice.

Savannah joined Pedestrian Space as an intern to align her academic interests in the psychology of urban experience with the organization’s focus on participatory advocacy and resident-centered urban perspectives. During her internship, she pursued research in Warsaw through methods such as auto-ethnography and walking interviews. Alongside her fieldwork, she also contributed a media diary reflecting on her process and offering insights into walkability and urban life.

Read more about Savannah’s work during her Pedestrian Space internship here: https://pedestrianspace.org/tag/savannah-siekierski/

Xi Chen

Xi pursued his Industrial Placement at Pedestrian Space in Spring 2025 as an MA student in the Film & TV program at the School of Arts at the University of Bristol, further defining a documentary concept on a local community garden: Redcatch Community Garden.

Regarding his placement, Xi noted: “I chose Pedestrian Space for my industrial placement because of its commitment to raising awareness about sustainable urban mobility. Through this placement, I hope to develop compelling visual narratives that not only inform but also inspire positive change in urban mobility.”

Yujie Ni

Yujie pursued her Industrial Placement at Pedestrian Space between May and July 2024 as an MA student in the Film & TV program at the School of Arts at the University of Bristol. During her placement time, she became an active volunteer at a local community garden in her community and produced the three short videos ‘Gardening at Easton Community Garden’ Part 1, Part II, and Part III while on a track of exploring sustainable community agriculture and urbanism.

The community garden Yujie volunteered at and also created media on is all organic, which is also aligned with Yujie’s own long-time mission of promoting organic food, which she worked on during her Bachelor’s in China. At our weekly meetings, it was such a treat to see her joy and enthusiasm with the diverse harvest from the garden each week!

Yujie also presented at a virtual webinar and workshop on ‘Building a narrative around the benefits and challenges of community agriculture‘ hosted by The Schumacher Institute in July 2024. Learn more about Yujie’s work and media produced during her Pedestrian Space industrial placement here: https://pedestrianspace.org/tag/yujie-ni/

Wenjiao Zhang

Wenjiao pursued her Industrial Placement at Pedestrian Space between May and July 2024 as an MA student in the Film & TV program at the School of Arts at the University of Bristol. During her placement time, she produced the short documentary ‘Walking: Through the Lens‘ while on a track of exploring and depicting issues of sustainable mobility via film.

About her documentary, Wenjiao notes that “Many of the shots in this documentary were captured during my regular walks with a camera. There was no plan or purpose—just moments of beauty and interest that I came across while walking. This is also one of the joys of walking for me. The process of making this documentary made me reflect on my own spiritual life. It taught me the importance of being present and connecting with nature. Through these daily walking records, I discovered many details and beautiful moments that might otherwise be overlooked. Each walk became a journey of the soul, helping me find balance in a fast-paced life.” -Wenjiao Zhang

In 2025, Brinksway Cinema Brinksway Cinema featured Wenjiao’s documentary at their CLIMATE CUTS FILM EVENT: Sustainable Travel To Save The World?

Read more about Wenjiao’s work during her Pedestrian Space internship here: https://pedestrianspace.org/tag/wenjiao-zhang/