I’m excited to join EMBARQ, the producer of this blog, as the new TheCityFix Blogger. I studied art history in Rome during my undergraduate education, where I explored the stone streets and piazzas of a city built on ancient ruins. I was inspired by the mobility and design of the city and bitten by the travel bug, so I pursued international urban planning for my graduate education.

I earned a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where I concluded a thesis on the socio-economic factors that have an impact on New York City’s recycling diversion rates. I focused my academic work on sustainable urban planning and international development issues. My interests in international development are also fueled by my Turkish-American upbringing. International development and environmental planning are important to me because I believe transnational collaboration and a balance between economic development and environmental protection are essential components of global sustainability.

Most recently, I worked for the Earth Institute, where I helped manage a summer-long communications program highlighting research on environmental microbiology and decision-making under uncertainty. My work at the Earth Institute has been one of the strongest motivators in pursuing a career with an international and environmental aspect, as I realize the importance of exchanging ideas within a broader global scope and providing resources to those who are under-served and underrepresented.

In the upcoming weeks, I am looking forward to diving more deeply into issues of sustainable transportation, international development, recycling and data analysis. Please feel free to contact me to share ideas and suggestions: isonuparlak@wri.org.