Wednesday, August 21, 2024
By: Kyle Niblett
Working in the fast-paced environment of the mayor’s office in one of the largest cities in America, University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning senior David M. Favors is always on the grind.
Scheduled to graduate with a degree in sustainability and the built environment this December, Favors has spent his last summer as an undergrad serving as a data analyst under the Housing Innovation Lab inside the mayor’s office in Atlanta, Georgia. After sifting through and organizing the raw data he has gathered, he has been busy presenting his data to various government agencies including the Atlanta Housing Authority and the Department of City Planning.
“The data collection tends to be the longer part of my day as I have to collect the data from multiple sources to ensure its validity,” Favors explained. “Then I cleanse the data by removing any anomalies so I can present and visualize it for my team and other agencies to read and understand comprehensively.”
When he wasn’t doing that, Favors spent his summer teaching a program that alleviates the hurdles of viewing property information to other agencies to help improve their efficiency in their line of work. He views these meetings with multiple agencies as the most rewarding part of his internship because the tools he teaches them helps each workplace become more efficient well after he returns to Gainesville.
The internship hasn’t been without its challenges, however. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for the SBE student has been turning raw data into something that can be communicated. This is because by receiving large amounts of insights on the properties of Atlanta, you come across data that is outdated or invalid. Favors has been able to stay on top of this while ensuring the data he provides is useful and important. Overall, the busy internship has allowed Favors to redirect his Capstone project and opened his eyes like never before.
“Being able to see a new city and how they conduct business is something many people should get the opportunity to experience,” Favors said. “It shows you how vast the world is and how much more you can learn even when out of a traditional classroom.”
Being busy has never affected Favors though. He is currently the senator for the DCP seat in the UF Student Government, and a member of the UF Green Building Club, Phi Beta Sigma, Society of PC Building and Progressive Black Men, Inc. With all this experience to go along with his education, he has excelled in Atlanta because he already knew what went into city planning thanks to mapping tools such as ArcGIS. As always, Favors is looking toward the future with what he’s learned.
“I would like to utilize technology such as computer science and merge them into the built environment to create more sustainability within our ever-growing society,” he said.
Q&A with David Favors
What would you tell prospective students who are thinking about attending DCP?
DCP offers a great way to learn more about the cities you live in and how things work. If you like being part of projects and seeing your work make a great impact and difference in the world, DCP is a good way to go.
What has been your favorite course/professor at DCP and why?
My favorite professor is Hal Knowles. He has always been an approachable person and he would always help me out with any questions I had on classwork or cities as a whole.
What has been your favorite memory at DCP and why?
My favorite memory at DCP would be the Punta Cana summer trip with Kyle Dost in 2023. By going out of the country and helping with sustainability in the resort and with animals, I was able to see how SBE impacts countries worldwide and how it can be applicable anywhere.
How important is the DCP network of graduates across the globe?
It is extremely important to have a network filled with graduates who focused on the same thing as you. It is already helping me greatly no matter where I go. If you have that connection, it unlocks limitless possibilities with what you want to do career wise.
What is the one thing you know now that you wish you would have known your first day at UF?
Whatever you’re looking for is already provided, you just have to go out and take it.
