Gina Kiani
Gina Kiani is a Graduate student at the University of Southern California and will complete a Master of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology in the Fall of 2014. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California Berkeley in Conservation and Resource Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Urban Environments. The primary direction of her objectives and pursuits focus on the use of Geographic Information Science (GIS) to facilitate Sustainable Urban Planning. Her interest in GIS concerns how spatial analysis can provide an over-arching context to many of the themes that are relevant to the interpretation of data and information required in efficient decision-making and modeling. With indisputable evidence of anthropogenic induced climate change, she hopes to utilize GIS in areas such as change detection of atmospheric composition and water levels, epidemic outbreaks, deforestation, reforestation, energy and food production etc., to contribute to the continual characterization, monitoring and evaluation of natural resources for sustainability purposes. Her skill-set includes dissecting and performing the critical components of a site suitability analysis, sustainability inventory, spatial analysis, field techniques for GIST, programming and customization, spatial database management, research and dissemination. Her final year of study will include project management and her thesis in GIS for Sustainable Urban Planning. As the Oakland and Berkeley California correspondent for Global Site Plans, she hopes to remain current on relevant development issues and discover emerging GIS strategies while advocating for sustainable planning.
A Farewell to The Grid, from Gina Kiani of the East Bay, California
by Gina Kiani
It’s hard to believe that my internship with Global Site Plans (GSP) has come to an end. Being a contributor to The Grid has helped me hone my skills as a writer; to more effectively convey and articulate my topics of in... Read article
Oakland Among Five California Cities Awarded in First Round of Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities
by Gina Kiani
The Rockefeller Foundation announced their 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge during their 100th birthday on May 14th, 2013. Following over 1,000 registrations and 400 applications from cities around the world, th... Read article
Development at University Village at UC Berkeley: Should it Continue to be Stalled?
by Gina Kiani
In development since 2007, the UC Village project is still tackling hurdles before the Albany Planning Commission. The mixed-use development on 6.3 acres of land, owned by the University of California Berkeley, is propos... Read article
Place-Making for Peace in Oakland, California
by Gina Kiani
A Place for Sustainable Living hosted Festival of the Commons, a neighborhood place-making block party in the Golden Gate District of Oakland on November 9, 2013. This celebration on about three blocks of closed-off stre... Read article
California's Environmental Goals and Policy Report Finally Released
by Gina Kiani
Since resuming Governor of California, the Environmental Goals and Policy Report (EGPR) was released under Jerry Brown thirty years behind schedule. The Governor’s Office of Planning & Research typically releases the... Read article
Oakland, California: Revitalization and Retail Expansion on Broadway
by Gina Kiani
As recognized by the city itself, “Oakland has long been the nation’s largest underserved Trade Area for comparison goods... export(ing) 75% of its potential sales... or roughly $1 billion in sales every year, to the nei... Read article
Alliance for Community Development: Promoting an Inclusive Economy in Oakland, CA
by Gina Kiani
The Alliance for Community Development (ACD) is a non-profit organization focused on economic community development for low and moderate income communities. The ACD hosted the Bay Area Capital Connections Conference VI: ... Read article
Oak to Ninth?: New Brooklyn Basin Construction Underway on Oakland's Waterfront
by Gina Kiani
Over a decade after the conceptualization of the Oak to Ninth project, the stalled venture newly named Brooklyn Basin, is once again underway on Oakland's waterfront, South-East of Laney College. The infill redevelopment... Read article
The Living Building Challenge for Sustainability in the Built Environment
by Gina Kiani
The open Sustainability Colloquium at the University of California, Berkeley is a presentation series featuring sustainability topics from leading practitioners of urban planning, architecture, landscape design, engineer... Read article
Pedestrianization and Popups Expand Downtown Oakland Business Opportunities
by Gina Kiani
The temporary pedestrian plaza, Latham Square, had an introductory opening at Telegraph Avenue and Broadway on August 16, 2013, with a Grand Opening targeted for September and the permanent revisions to be completed in 2... Read article
Economic Development for Sustainability in Oakland, California
by Gina Kiani
Economic development can often be overlooked in the pursuit of sustainable urban planning, however, the three E's of sustainability consist of Ecology, Equality and Economy. In promoting economic sustainability, Oakland'... Read article
Putting Nature to Work in Oakland California
by Gina Kiani
Awarded the Proposition 84 Urban Greening Grant, Urban Biofilter has launched the Adapt Oakland planning initiative to clean up the city with the power of nature. Past projects deployed by Urban Biofilter include collabo... Read article
Advancing Sustainable Urban Planning at the Esri 2013 Conference
by Gina Kiani
I recently attended the 2013 Esri International User Conference with over 15,000 others in San Diego interested in Geographic Information Science or Systems (GIS). Focused on GIS to enable sustainable urban planning, I f... Read article
