Ioanna Tsoulou advocates for inclusive, environmentally responsible cities

Ioanna Tsoulou believes places that allow people to interact such as coffee shops create better communities.
 
Photo: Kristen Stephenson

'We spend all of our lives in cities. We need to have an excellent environment to live, work and enjoy life. What is better than contributing to that.'
 
– Ioanna Tsoulou
 

A fellowship to Rutgers gave Ioanna Tsoulou the stepping stone she needed to escape the financial crisis in Greece and pursue her passion for building better cities.

She had earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Patras in Greece that prepared her for a job deciding on the types of buildings to construct in city centers. But her interest went beyond the engineering of individual structures. She wanted a career that allowed her to consider how buildings are connected to each other to create thriving communities where residents’ needs are easily accessible.

“We spend all of our lives in cities,’’ Tsoulou said. “We need to have an excellent environment to live, work and enjoy life. What is better than contributing to that.’’

As a result of a guiding hand from professors at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and her own self-determination, Tsoulou accomplished something that seemed impossible a few years ago. This May she completed a master’s degree in city and regional planning and is preparing to pursue a doctoral degree this fall.

While living in Greece, Tsoulou faced many challenges. The financial crisis hit her family hard. Her father lost his business making pottery. He went to work for friends, but when they were offered projects, clients usually didn’t have any money to pay.

“The worst consequence of the crisis was the stress of not knowing if we would have money the next day,’’ Tsoulou said.

In addition to the financial hardships, there were no programs in Greece dedicated to the study of urban planning. When she learned about the Bloustein School, coming to Rutgers seemed out of reach. But Clint Andrews, a professor and associate dean, helped her arrange a fellowship which made her dream of pursuing a master’s degree in planning a reality.

Andrews said Tsoulou continued to impress him during her time at Rutgers.

“She is very determined and that manifests itself in both working hard and also stepping up and letting the world know that if she is interested in a project, she is not going to wait to be discovered,’’ said Andrews, who teaches urban planning. “She is going to look for the action.’’

Tsoulou arrived at Rutgers a month before classes started to join her partner, who was a doctoral student in electrical engineering. She asked Andrews if she could get to work early and became involved in a large-scale research effort, partially funded by the National Science Foundation, to consider the future of towns devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

She worked on an inventory of damaged homes in Sayreville. As she would do for her next two years in graduate school, Tsloulou took an extra step and applied her engineering background to analyze the potential for future damage. That allowed planners to consider some “what if” scenarios that were key in designing a future vision for areas devastated by the storm.

She also wrote a paper that became required reading in Andrew’s green building class and stood out as a teaching assistant working with students on computer-assisted design.

“The fact that she managed to get out of an imploding Greece and land on her feet at a good grad school suggests she is someone we will be hearing from in the future,’’ Andrews said.

Working as a teaching assistant sparked Tsoulou’s interest in pursuing a doctoral degree. She credits her professors with broadening the way she thinks about the world and wants to do that for other students, while being able to pursue her own research interests.

Her ultimate goal is to apply her engineering background to find the optimal land use combinations to create walkable, sustainable and economically viable communities.

“My perception of how I live has completely changed,’’ Tsoulou said about her time at Rutgers. “I feel like I woke up.’’

“I believe that everyone deserves to live in great cities,’’ she said. “I dream of sustainable, environmentally responsible communities that are inclusive places for all.’’