THE PEOPLE BEHIND CITY-EXPLORATIONS-NETWORK
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Presently, CEN has 8 permanent and 3 inactive editors. All editors are spatial planners with 6 different nationalities, located in 7 different cities and in 6 different countries.
Maria Kik, Brussels, (BE)
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Maria Kik. Spatial Planner. Bachelor in Spatial Planning. From Poland and Germany. Currently living in Brussels, Belgium.
Building on a bachelor degree in Spatial Planning from TU Dortmund and YTÜ Istanbul, I had developed the interest to get a profound insight into complex (global) processes of and between cities. Therefore, I’m currently studying the master of Urban Studies in Brussels. My practical experiences so far range from investigating climate change adaptation in urban flooding prone areas in India and slum formation in Spain, to working on local community projects on neighbourhood and city level in Germany and Bolivia, always with the motivation in mind to give underprivileged people a voice in their city. Urban Planning and its incorporated solutions/ approaches are as diverse as cities and their challenges are which is why I see CEN as an exciting mean of broadening the vision about cities’ appearances and struggles within the planning context around the globe.
Tasfin Aziz, Dhaka, (BD)
​Tasfin Aziz. Lecturer, Urban and Regional Planner. Master in Urban and Regional Development Planning. From Bangladesh. Currently living in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
My name is Tasfin. I live in Dhaka which is the capital of Bangladesh. I am an Urban Planner and passionate working on City’s Livability, Governance, Resilience and Urban-Rural linkages. I am Interested in travelling, music, watching movies and many other things. I have completed my Bachelor in Urban and Rural Planning at Khulna University, Bangladesh in 2009. Then I pursued a Post-graduate Diploma in Development Planning in 2010. After that I was awarded with a DAAD scholarship from the German Government to pursue the SPRING Joint Master Programme in 2014. I studied at TU Dortmund, in Germany and at Universidad Austral de Chile and graduated in 2016. In my more than five years professional experience, I got the opportunity to work in various positions related to development research, project implementation and management and in academia. I worked for GIZ Bangladesh in a city governance and infrastructure improvement project. Later, I was involved in a community based climate change adaptation project on behalf of UNDP Bangladesh and served almost two years in a remote coastal Island called Hatiya in Southern Bangladesh. Currently, I am working part-time at the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) under the Department of Technical and Vocational Education. I am responsible for teaching Environmental Management. Apart from that, I am working as a Project Officer at Swiss contact Bangladesh under the Sudokkho Project.
Why Planning?
I believe that urban issues are not isolated from each other. So, I found a link with the core value of planning with my belief. Planning always talks about integration and synergies, cooperation and collective effort to come up with solutions.
In the planning profession we can foresee problems, tackle and act upon them accordingly. We always need to have the broader picture in mind. Segregation and inclusion are big words we are facing in our day to day city life which I believe we should addressed in the best way possible.
Msilikale Msilanga, Dar es Salaam (TZ)
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Msilikale Msilanga. Urban Planer, Geospatial and Community Mapping Specialist. Master in Urban and Regional Planning. From Mwanza, Tanzania. Currently living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
I am a spatial planner by profession based in Tanzania. I have studied Urban and Regional Planning at Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in my undergraduate studies and in my postgraduate studies Urban and Regional Development Planning and Management under the Spatial Planning for Regions in Growing Economies Programme (SPRING) at the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany and the Universidad de Chile in Valdivia, Chile. Besides my experience in urban planning in the African context I have experiences in urban and regional planning in Europe and Latin America. At the moment, I work as Geospatial and Community mapping specialist at The World Bank in the Tanzanian Country office. I chose to become a spatial planner because I believe spatial planning offers the opportunity to work with various sectors and to develop solutions to different urban issues. When different sectors come together, such as the transportation, environment, architecture, demography sector and others I think creating smart cities becomes possible. Furthermore, I believe that spatial planning determines the culture and economic status of cities which is why I am passionate about my profession.
Matteo Gianotti, Turin (IT)
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Matteo Gianotti. Architect and Urban Planner. PhD Canidate. From and living in Turin, Italy.
I am an architect and urban planner based in Turin, Italy. I studied at IUAV (Venice), Politenico di Torino (Turin) and Chalmers University of Technology (Gothenburg). I am currently doing my PhD at FULL (Future Urban Legacy Lab), an inter-departmental research centre focused on exploring, imagining and designing the future of global and local urban legacy embodied in city form. Previously, I worked as intern at UN-Habitat (Nairobi) and helped StudioMARC (Turin) in developing architectural design projects.
Why planning?
I think is an essential/fundamental activity to aim for a more fair and sustainable world.
What I like about cities?
Cities, as people, always surprise you. Everyday you discover something new!
David Loddo, Brasilia (BR)
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David Loddo. Spatial Planner. Master of Science in Spatial Planning in Developing Countries. From Dortmund, Germany. Currently living in Brasilia, Brazil.
I was born and raised in Germany. During my studies, I did research projects in Cuba, Tanzania, Finland and the Philippines. I am mostly interested in the Technical Infrastructure of cities such as water supply systems to transport systems but I also have a heart for informal urban art. I am always interested in new solutions for old problems and anything around urbanization. Currently: I am working in Brazil on policy making in waste management.
Carla Rossitto, Brasilia (BR)
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Carla Rossitto. Architect and Urban Planner. Master in Regional Development Planning. From Sao Paulo, Brazil. Currently living in Brasilia, Brazil.
I am a Brazilian, who has lived and studied in Norway, EUA, Argentina, Germany and the Philippines. I enjoy the exchange of experiences and solutions for cities and regions all over the world. In recent years I have closely worked with national, regional and municipal governments and acquired a broad inter-sectorial knowledge and skills across three main areas: natural resource planning, physical infrastructure planning and socio-economic development planning. Overall, I have a deep commitment with the development field.
Sabrina Ohler, NAIROBI (KE)
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Sabrina Ohler. Urban and Regional Development Planner. Master in Urban and Regional Development Planning and Management. From Düsseldorf, Germany. Currently living in Nairobi, Kenya.
I am a Spatial Planner from Germany but since the beginning of my studies I focused on spatial planning in developing countries. I obtained my masters degree from TU Dortmund, Germany and Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I have researched on a variety of spatial development related topics, such as on housing developments in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, cultural heritage preservation and cultural tourism in El Salavdor, multilocational households, forced migration into urban areas and crime in informal settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In the past, I worked for a French NGO called Apoyo Urbano in El Salvador and supported the municipality San Pedro Masahuat in elaborating a strategic development plan for their historical urban centre. I also worked for GIZ on a knowledge and experience exchange platform on sustainable sanitation. Furthermore, I worked for UN-Habitat in Nairobi on Planning for Health, Metropolitan Planning and mainstreaming refugees and IDPs into National Urban Policy. In Zambia I am worked with GIZ on Integrated Development Planning and the use of QGIS in spatial planning. Currently, I am back in Nairobi working with Kounkuey Design Initative (KDI) on co-production of weather and climate information services for residents of informal settlements. I am passionate about urban and regional planning as one means to tackle the issues of our time and to contribute to a more sustainable future for all.
Faeeza Samsodien, Cape Town (ZA)
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Faeeza Samsodien. Spatial Planner. Master in Spatial Planning. From and living in Cape Town, South Africa.
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I have a Masters Degree in Spatial Planning from the Technical University of Dortmund. Currently, I am working as a Professional Officer within the Development Management sector in Cape Town, South Africa. I am passionate about researching on regeneration projects, as well as real estate investment and property planning.