My twitter bio as @urbanbydesign sums it up as follows: Deena Parham is an urban planner, preservationist, nonprofit advocate who adores cities, policy, architecture, gardens, interior design, and retail.
Why did I start this blog? I decided to keep a journal of my travels around New York City, and other parts of the country. I gravitate to neighborhoods and public spaces that are hidden gems. I appreciate quiet, calm, and tranquil places that are in the heart of a bustling metropolis. I'm also very interested in how creative professionals are increasingly contributing to cities, particularly from the worlds of interior design, and architecture.
A longer narrative?
Over the past ten years I've been:
- an urban planner in large cities
- a program officer at a national community development organization specializing in neighborhood commercial business districts.
- a commercial revitalization specialist and project manager for five commercial corridors
- a nonprofit advisory board member for a Kellogg Foundation and Ford Foundation international public and farmers markets initiative.
- a nonprofit consultant
- a program associate at a regional foundation (with a substantial grant portfolio related to communications, community revitalization, parks/public space, arts projects, and regional equity.
- a freelance writer/reporter with 125+ stories published to date.
- a conference planner - provided educational content for a major national community development conference (34 sessions, 75+ speakers in San Francisco)
- a speaker at seminars about commercial revitalization + community development (Miami, Toledo, Houston, San Francisco, New York City) for organizations as diverse as nonprofits, and Americorps.
- a frequent tweeter. Find me on twitter as @urbanbydesign.