Marco Harding

Marco Harding is an urban planning MA student interested in understanding the relationship between the built and natural environments. Born in 1993 in Guatemala, he grew up in Santa Cruz, California connected to the landscape through activities like surfing, kayaking, fishing and skateboarding. In 2016 he earned his B.A. from The Evergreen State College, where he explored the intersections of environmental studies, art, and cultural anthropology. Marco completed Berkeley’s InCity urban planning and design program in the summer of 2022 and started SJSU’s MUP program that fall. In 2023, he conducted an independent study on “third places” and their role in fostering social cohesion, sustainability and placemaking in emerging North Amsterdam neighborhoods. At the beginning of 2025 Marco went on a study abroad trip to Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto and Fukuoka) to learn about city design, the social cohesion of place today, and what planning ideas could be applicable in the States. With a multidisciplinary background in urban planning, art and environmental studies Marco is committed to creating communities that balance human activity within a changing and unpredictable environment.