Experiential Impact Spotlight: Griffin Primeau

Where do you consider your place of origin?
I grew up in Yarmouth, Maine.

Which Policy School degree do you have?
I graduated in 2026 with a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy.

What drew you to the Policy School?
My path to the Policy School was shaped by a mix of academic curiosity and hands-on experience. During my undergraduate degree in Architectural Studies, I became increasingly interested not just in how buildings are designed, but also in how the policies and systems around them shape communities. That interest deepened when I began working at the intersection of housing, development, and urban planning. It was here that I saw firsthand how policy decisions play out in real space and real people’s lives.

What policy issues or areas of research are you focused on?
My research and professional interests sit at the intersection of housing policy, urban development, and the built environment. At Northeastern, my capstone focused on corporate investment in housing markets, examiningnhow institutional buying patterns shape affordability and neighborhood change over time. That work sharpened my interest in housing production more broadly, including ADUs, zoning reform, and alternative housing models, and how policy can be designed to actually move the needle at the local level

How has your personal background shaped your policy interests and passions?
Growing up drawn to both design and how communities function, I found myself studying the built environment but consistently more interested in the policy and systems behind what gets built than in design itself. That tension pushed me toward urban planning and eventually to Northeastern, where I could explore housing, zoning, and development through a rigorous policy lens.

Where did you complete your Policy School co-op?
In the Housing Innovation Lab within Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Housing.

What kind of support or mentoring did you receive prior to and during your co-op?
I was fortunate to have strong support from both Northeastern and the team at the City of Boston throughout the experience. Before starting, faculty and staff at the Policy School helped me prepare, from refining my resume to thinking through how to approach the role and make the most of it. That guidance continued during the co-op through regular check-ins and reflection, which helped me process what I was learning and connect it back to my academic work.

On the employer side, my supervisor and colleagues at the Housing Innovation Lab were generous with their time and expertise, bringing me into real projects and treating me as a genuine contributor rather than just a student. Having that support on both ends made a big difference in how much I was able to grow during the experience.

What skills did you build or sharpen during your co-op?
The co-op pushed me to develop skills across both the research and practical sides of policy work. I sharpened my ability to design and conduct stakeholder interviews, synthesize findings across a wide range of perspectives, and translate research into actionable recommendations.That process also strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to different audiences, whether in writing or in a room with city officials and community members. I also built a stronger foundation in how local government actually operates, including how decisions move through bureaucratic and political processes, which gave me a much more grounded understanding of policy implementation than I had coming out of the classroom.

What do you consider the highlight of your co-op experience?
The project I’m most proud of is leading the Shared Living Resources initiative at the Housing Innovation Lab, where I was brought in to research and develop guidance around shared living as a strategy for addressing housing affordability in Boston. I was given a significant amount of ownership over the project, which meant designing the research approach, conducting extensive stakeholder interviews across the housing ecosystem, and ultimately producing recommendations for the city. What made it especially meaningful was that it sat right at the intersection of policy, planning, and the realities of how people actually live, and I could see how the work had the potential to influence real decisions. Being trusted with that level of responsibility as a graduate student and being able to see it through from research to deliverable is something I’m genuinely proud of.

What impact did your work make on your host organization, the community, or beyond?
My work contributed to the city’s broader effort to think creatively about housing affordability at a time when Boston was actively exploring policy reform in that space. By bringing together research and stakeholder perspectives, I helped surface practical insights to inform the city’s approach to housing policy going forward. Being part of that process, even early in my career, reinforced how much I value work that connects rigorous research to real decisions.

How did your co-op experience change you?
The experience clarified for me that I thrive when I am close to implementation, not just analysis. Working inside a city agency showed me how much I valued being in environments where research had to quickly become action, and where the gap between a good idea and workable policy was something you had to actively bridge. It also pushed me to become more confident operating with ambiguity and ownership, skills that have proven just as valuable in my career since graduating

If you were talking with a prospective student or potential co-op host, what is the one aspect you would want them to know about the value of experiential learning?
The most valuable thing you can do is treat it as the real thing, because it is. The students who get the most out of experiential learning are the ones who show up ready to take ownership, ask hard questions, and sit with the discomfort of not having all the answers yet. No classroom can fully replicate the experience of being accountable to real stakeholders on real problems, and that pressure is where the most growth happens. Dive in fully, and you will come out with greater clarity about who you are professionally than any coursework could provide.

What are you dreaming of for the future? What do you hope to accomplish?
Long term, I want to grow into a role where I can lead complex projects and have a real impact on how the built environment takes shape in cities. Right now, I am focused on building the deepest foundation I can in construction project management, learning every aspect of how projects come together from the ground up. I am excited about the trajectory I am on and the opportunity to keep taking on more responsibility as I develop.