I Do Urban Design and Planning.

I am a project planner and designer with close to 20 years of full and part time working experiences in multidisciplinary firms across the US and Iran. During this time, I have developed strong design and analysis skills in both fields of planning and architecture.

Although I have been mostly active in urban design projects, yet, my involvement has extended to other disciplines as well, including campus design, landscape architecture, multi-family housing, interior design and wayfinding (signage graphic design).

I also have a strong passion for teaching and believe in strengthening communities by engaging business industries in nonprofit creative researches and design developments. Therefore, besides my professional career, I always find myself active in other organizations such as AIA, ASLA and involved with universities such as Morgan State, Catholic University and University of Maryland.

To review my detailed portolio and resume feel free to check out my ISSUU page:

Streetsense

Washington DC 2023 - Present

In November 2023, I rejoined the newly rebranded Streetsense as an urban designer, planner, and member of the Place studio. At Streetsense, I'm not only a project designer, but also a researcher and analyst of our built environment. Streetsense is a global creative collective of placeshapers, brandbuilders, and storytellers and I'm proud to be a member of this collective.

At Streetsense majority of projects that I am working on, are urban analysis, design and vision proposals as well as wayfinding and urban branding. Yet, my involvement extended to a wide range of disciplines such as architecture, interior design, and some web design projects.

Aside from my professional activities at Streetsense, I am an active member of AIABaltimore, AIADC, and APA.

Torti Gallas + Partners

Washington DC 2021 - 2023

In August 2021, I joined the young segment of Research and Placemaking at Torti Gallas + Partners, in search of professional growth and opportunities. Although the segment was relatively newly formed, Torti Gallas and Partners has a long and rich history in local and national architecture and is a leading proponent of New Urbanism. As a senior urban planner at our DC headquarters, I utilized my planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and interior design skills to mainly focus on mixed-use placemaking projects.

Working at TGP was a great opportunity for me to reuse my skills in architecture and landscape architecture in planning and urban design. Moreover, I got a chance to refresh my hand drawing and digital skills on varieties of planning and mixed-use projects.

Starkey Ranch Blueberry Farm Preliminary Planning

Starkey Ranch Blueberry Farm Preliminary Planning, Trinity, FL

In this project, Framework Group (Client) requested us to undertake the planning efforts on the Starkey Ranch at Trinity, FL to study various residential neighborhood layouts for the site.The final plan required 15% of the total site acreage for stormwater management ponds. while providing a 400–500-unit 3-4 level multifamily and single-family rental communities. The final plan includes pedestrian trails and streets network, zoning lots, SWM ponds, clubhouse locations, parking, etc. Yet, the plan stayed flexible with the approximate unit and parking tabulations.

Beverly Hills Placemaking

This project has developed in several stages in which many of them were feasibilioty study for two blocks at the Beverly Hills. NYC based Street-Works Development LLC (client) was in seach of an enhanced urban spaces for the residents and visitors of these high-end blocks. Therefor, Complete Street tactics and strategies were employed to encompass the dreams that have inspired the design, and the vision of how this place lives -- and how it changes -- from day to evening, from weekday to weekend, from season to season, and even on special occasions.

The official entitlement document, the Specific Plan describes the physical aspects of the place, that is, WHAT is proposed to be built, but this document describes the thinking behind this proposal, or WHY this design is proposed in this manner.

Initially 5 different schemes were proposed. However, during several design shreds, the design was refined into one wholistic proposal that can host flexible programming for daily, weekend, and special occasions,

Streetsense

Bethesda MD 2019 - 2023

In May 2019, I joined Streetsense, a truly multi-disciplinary design firm with multiple offices across the Globe. Streetsense designers are involved with a variety of creative projects from branding and marketing to planning, architecture, and interior design.

As an urban planner, I was mainly working on urban design projects, focusing on retail and mixed-use tasks.

Although I have been a member of the planning team in our Bethesda headquarters, yet, my involvement extended to a wide-range of disciplines such as architecture, interior design, and some branding projects.

Knox Road Storefront Concepts

Knox Road Storefront Concepts, College Park, MD

In my design development process, I have always produced varieties of renderings and diagrams in order to communicate in the best and most efficient way, with the clients. For my 3D renderings and model makings, I usually use SketchUp as my base, and for renderings, I either use VRay plugins or Enscape.

For the Knox Road project, I used the combination of Sketchup, Enscape, and Photoshop to provide several alternatives for storefront design challenges. The combination of these techniques, helped the Streetsense team to lead the clients towards the best approach in the design process of their new mixed-use project.

29th street Placemaking Concept

29th street Placemaking Concept, Boulder, CO

The 29th Street development is located in a unique context between the Boulder Creek recreation corridor to the south and Pearl Street to the north which leads directly into downtown Boulder. As the shopping center started to age, the client asked the team at the Streetsense to provide fresh design solutions to renovate the existing context and retail environment.

After visiting the site and performing a diagnosis of the existing conditions, and evaluating a variety of opportunities to enhance the project, the following interventions were determined to have maximum impact to elevate the project’s retail presence and increase the ability to attract and retain customers.

ASG Architects

Baltimore MD 2017 - 2019

In 2017, I joined ASG Architects, a more than a century old multi-disciplinary design firm.

ASG is mostly focused on campus and higher education architecture with several offices across the US.

Although I have been a member of planning studio in our Baltimore headquarter, yet, my involvement extended to wide-range of disciplines such as landscape architecture, architecture design, campus housing research, architectural photography and physical model making for international and national projects.

BCT Architects

Baltimore MD 2014 - 2017

In 2014, I joined BCT Architects, a mid-size retail-driven design office to be most active in urban design projects, however, my involvement extended to a wide range of disciplines such as interior design and housing.

Some of the projects that I was involved with, at BCT, were redesigning the "2 Hopkins Tower", working on the "ShunYi CCRC" residential community in China, and the "Port Covington Master Planning", the home for the Under Armour campus.

I also played an active role in several nonprofit activities of BCT, such as installations, competitions, and the Adopt-A-School program.

Port Covington Master Planning

At BCT Architects, I was one of the main designers, working on the Port Covington master plan since early stages. The UDARP presentation of October 2015, included the new traffic pattern, density studies, strong waterfront connectivity, varieties of open spaces as well as Under Armour campus.

ShunYi CCRC, Design proposal, Beijing, China

This project proposed a vibrant and active environment for housing community and was a collaboration between KGRW And Associates, BCT Architects, and Mahan Rykiel Associates. I was one of the lead designers and helped with the project management in BCT office. The project is now under construction.

The project is a high-end senior-housing community with a varied garden environment. Site in the ShunYi District of Beijing and is planned around celebrating the two main unique features of the site: a large lake to the southeast of the site and an existing building that will be the jewel of the center of the community.

The ShunYi master plan is based on creating neighborhoods, so rather than one large complex with an overwhelming scale for residents, the project is planned for three different neighborhoods that celebrate different characters and identities. Each neighborhood has its own exterior aesthetic for establishing its identity, while at the same time there are unifying elements to the whole project. Design strategy suggests each neighborhood has a predominant separate element of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water. Prominent building materials and site features have been chosen to relate to the basic elements by using a mix of wood, stone/masonry, and metal and with defined selected color palates for exteriors, buildings will have an exciting interplay of elements.

Sculpture Parklet at Hartford, Ct

One of my latest landscape architecture projects at BCT was designing a parklet for Vinnie Bagwell, a well-known sculptor, to celebrate the memory of Doc Hurley.

The park concept aims to point towards the M. L. King School. All Boulder Rocks are pointing towards the school, showing the flow of everyday life, when a rock-pedestal raises and the Bagwell’s sculpture sits on top of it.

Broadway Place, Long Branch, NJ

Broadway Place study and design was one of the urban design and mixed-use BCT projects that I was involved as the main designer from the very first days that project initiated. The design proposes a new boulevard in Broadway St, as well as a suggestion for art and entertainment mixed-use constructions.

Design Draw Build

Urbana IL 2013 - 2014

Starting November 2013 I worked with Design Draw Build Lab. DDB is a design/build architectural firm and during that tenure, I worked on varieties of projects in different scales.

I designed interiors and exteriors of several of buildings from residential to commercial Projects. I also produced several drawings for construction details of these spaces.

Also, I provided landscape architecture drawings and maps for few projects across the country. Along with my marketing and design strategy skills, I developed numbers of web pages and websites as well.

U. of IL at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign IL 2011 - 2014

After more than seven years studying architecture and architectural history, I could clearly conclude that my true passion is studying cities, their unique cultures, and coming up with sustainable solutions for urban living. Therefore, I joined the UIUC Master of Landscape Architecture program on 2011 and there, I was trained more deeply to explore how cities and their neighborhoods interact with their residents and how each of them influences one another.

Since then, I am seeking to reflect my ongoing researches in my designs which are not only building masses, but also the spaces between them.

Iran U. of Science and Technology

Tehran Iran 2003 - 2009

In 2003, I joined the IUST architecture program, in Tehran, Iran. This program is the third-best design program across the country and the years I have spent there helped me in a great deal to pave my way towards my design passions.

In over five years that I spent at IUST, I not only focused on the design thinking and learning but with the help of the rich curriculum that school offered, I learned a lot about constructional drawings, buildings engineering, and construction management.