Two-thirds of the world's population - 6.2 billion people -may live in cities by 2050. Cities presently produce 70% of the world's garbage and use roughly 80% of its energy. These revelations emphasize the need to change how cities evolve more firmly than ever and, at the same time, highlight several questions, including, Does the way our cities are designed affect their sustainability? What does it mean for a city to be sustainable? Plus more.

In this episode, Suzanne Ghadanfar discusses sustainability-related reconstruction and answers these and other concerns.

Suzanne Ghadanfar is a research fellow for the MSc program in Islamic Art, Architecture, and Urbanism. She holds a BSc. In Architectural Engineering and an MSc. in Urban Planning with over 15 years of working experience. 

Prior to joining HBKU, Suzanne worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Architectural Engineering in Aleppo, Syria. In addition, she has extensive working experience in designing and supervising architectural and urban planning projects with local and international design firms in Syria and the region. 

Her research work follows an interdisciplinary approach integrating concepts and theories from disciplines related to urban planning, architecture, sociology, social geography, and urban management and governance. She is interested in exploring the socioeconomic aspects that impact the built environment in post-conflict and post-disaster settings, and especially the role of community participation in shaping urban development. 

Suzanne is actively involved in local, regional, and international research activities and conferences. Recently, she presented her research paper on urban transformation and the emergence of inequality in Aleppo during the COVID-19 pandemic at a workshop organized by UCL's Bartlett Development Planning Unit in London. She has authored several publications and is currently co-editing a book with Dr. Akel Kahera and Dr. Sultan Barakat on "Strategic Rebuilding and Affordable Housing in the Muslim World."

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