Patrick Santoro 

Originally from Vancouver, Patrick brought a lot of relevant education and experience with him into the Urban Studies Program, including a bachelor of urban and regional planning from Ryerson University in Toronto, an urban fellowship with the City of New York, and community planning work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Patrick found the master’s program enriched and deepened his thinking about cities. He enjoyed the rich policy discussions and range of topics covered throughout the program. “I really appreciated the depth of the conversations with fellow students and professors, the debates and pragmatic solutions discussed”, he said. Patrick also valued the critical research skills gained through the program. “It improved my ability to make sense of data, synthesize large volumes of information and reflect on different sources and perspectives."

Patrick worked on policy issues at the Urban Development Institute while he was obtaining his M.Urb degree. He is now working for the City of San Francisco as a senior community development specialist in the mayor’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development, with a focus on the Central Market, Tenderloin, and Outer Mission and Excelsior districts. His responsibilities there include helping small businesses stay in San Francisco, revitalizing commercial corridors, developing and implementing economic, land use and public realm strategies, and managing community relationships, grants and contracts. Patrick emphasized he really enjoyed studying and working in Vancouver, as he can now draw on Vancouver’s successes and forward-thinking strategies to help shape San Francisco.

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn.