​Unlearning Harmful Practices and Making way for Trauma Informed Planning 

Planners4Health California is pleased to present its first virtual Lunch and Unlearn Workshop featuring the practice of Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI).  During this session, participants will have an opportunity to unlearn intentional and unintentional harmful practices in the planning and design fields. They will gain an understanding of the emerging trauma-informed planning through the review of 3 case studies from KDI-lead projects in Kibera, Kenya; Coachella, CA; and Juneau, AK.

August 5, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PT
Register here
This event is FREE 

Meet the Speakers

Chelina Odbert believes in the power of community-engaged design to advance racial, environmental, and economic equity in neighborhoods and cities. As Founding Principal of Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), she has built an award-winning practice that brings good design to places where it is not often found, and that connects localized design interventions to large-scale policy change. An urban planner by training, Chelina’s experience and expertise cover a range of topics from participatory planning to gender-inclusive design. She has written extensively about KDI’s community-engaged approach to planning in the U.S. and abroad, and she has been recognized by notable institutions including the Van Alen Institute, Ashoka Changemakers, and the Aspen Institute. In 2019, Chelina was named one of six Knight Foundation Public Space Fellows. In 2021, she was named an Emerging Voice by The Architectural League of New York. She has held teaching appointments at Harvard Graduate School of Design and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Chelina earned a BA with high honors from Claremont McKenna College. She received her Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University. 

Roxy Rivas is a Planning Coordinator at KDI’s Los Angeles office. They are passionate about addressing environmental and racial inequities in underserved and underrepresented communities, particularly on issues related to park access, housing, and public transportation. They support several planning projects with research and community engagement tools and practices that center the lived experiences of impacted residents. Prior to joining KDI, Roxy worked at Prevention Institute, where they focused on public policy initiatives emphasizing environmental approaches to prevention and health equity outcomes. They applied their policy advocacy and systems change expertise to address park inequities, environmental impacts, and health disparities in underserved communities throughout California. They were born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Roxy earned their Masters Degree in Urban Planning from CSUN and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Lauren Elachi​ is a Design Principal at KDI’s Los Angeles office. Lauren is interested in how landscape architects can address global challenges such as climate change and environmental justice. She is passionate about collaborating with communities to achieve design with maximum social benefit over the long term. Lauren manages a number of KDI projects, helping build consensus between a broad range of stakeholders to achieve community goals. Prior to joining KDI, Lauren worked at SCAPE Landscape Architecture in New York City, where she was involved in projects at the intersection of infrastructure, ecology, and community resiliency. She also taught Principles of Professional Practice at the Rhode Island School of Design. Lauren was a recipient of the Penny White Grant for research on the future landscape implications of nuclear waste disposal. Lauren is a LEED-accredited professional with a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University. 

Christian Rodriguez is a Community Associate at KDI’s Coachella office. He is passionate about social, racial, economic and environmental justice for underserved communities. A proud resident of the Eastern Coachella Valley, Christian is thrilled to be working in his own backyard and to be part of the changes happening in his community. Christian works with community members on a daily basis to develop programming and advocate for environmental justice. Prior to joining KDI, Christian spent seven years as a faith-based community organizer and retreat leader during his time in Seminary School. He has experience in various industries such as catering, hotel management, and agriculture, most recently working as the Human Resources coordinator for a Farm Labor contractor in the Eastern Coachella Valley. Christian studied Philosophy and Political Science at Loyola University Chicago.