Question 1

Q: Your journey is a captivating blend of urban design, education, and community engagement. How did you discover your passion for creating purposeful urban spaces and what drives you to advocate for community harmony?

A: I started as an architect, but realized that I wanted to think about the greater setting of the urban environment. It really is about the spaces around us - I can’t help thinking about why some spaces are successful and others are not. The passion for creating purposeful urban spaces has evolved through each stage of my life, learning about what a city feels like as a teenager gaining independence, as a mother seeking community, and through my kids eyes as those same spaces have evolved into something new. You can’t get away from it (even if you try), the built environment is the setting for our lives. And everyone is impacted by the design of buildings, streets, and its interface with nature and society. It can also be so much more if we have a clearer sense of the possibilities for our spaces to serve us better.