Salzburg Global and World Urban Parks Launch 2nd cohort of Emerging Urban Leaders Program

Salzburg Global Seminar and World Urban Parks are excited to launch the 2nd cohort of the Emerging Urban Leaders program.

For a second time, this initiative brings together a diverse, cross-sectoral, and international cohort of practitioners and change-makers to help implement innovative, practical interventions to tackle the problems facing our urban environments.

With a focus on increasing well-being, access to green space, and equity in the city, the Emerging Urban Leaders program will tackle inequality and improve the quality of life for all urban space users.

Fellows will discuss with and be mentored by a wide range of established leaders from urban design, conservation, civil society, government, and health sectors.

The first cohort began on March 17, 2021, and this second group of fellows will run from September 2022 to August 2023. Through this time the program will be augmented with regular sessions with an assigned mentor and opportunities for exchange with the wider Salzburg Global and World Urban Parks’ communities.

To be able to achieve the objectives of this program, it consists of multiple elements: 

-2-hour Monthly Meetings

  • 1 hour of discussion with an influential leader.
  • 1 hour of group discussion, peer-peer advice sharing, reflection, and project progress reports.

-Project Development

  • Each Fellow undertakes a practical project over the course of their participation in the program. Project ideas were submitted as part of the application process.
  • Ongoing support to implement the projects is provided in the form of mentorship, peer advice, and regular goal setting and feedback sessions.

-Mentorship 

  • Each Fellow is assigned a mentor based (where possible) on their preferences, to support them implementing their project.
  • Mentor and mentee meet regularly over the course of the year-long program.

-Thought Leadership

  • Fellows have the opportunity to submit articles to the ICLEI Cities with Nature Buzz monthly newsletter, SalzburgGlobal.org, World Urban Parks.org, and the Diplomatic Courier as well as present their work on the Futures Cities Podcast and the World Urban Parks congress.

Fellows in the second Emerging Urban Leaders cohort include:

  1. Bianca Abud, Biologist, Park Manager, Urbia Gestao de Parques, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  2. Suramya Bansal, Student, Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  3. Matt Boyce, PhD Candidate, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States of America
  4. Lucia Caves, Landscape Architect and Parks Project Manager, Thrive Spaces and Places Ltd. Christchurch, New Zealand
  5. Elizabeth Chege, Festival Director, Africa in Motion Film Festival Glasgow, United Kingdom
  6. Gábor Csapó, Google Nest, Taiwan
  7. Temuulen Enkhbat, Researcher, GerHub NGO, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  8. Anas Sanusi Gusau, CEO, Golden Star Development Initiative, Sokoto, Nigeria
  9. Mayu Ferrufino, Executive Director, Cuscatlán Park Foundation (FUNDAPARC)
  10. Catie Hastings, D.E.I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Coordinator, City of Coral Gables United States of America
  11. Matias Honour, Project Director, Fundacion Mi Parque, Santiago, Chile
  12. Christina Jang, Program Manager of Technical Assistance, 10-Minute Walk Program, Trust for Public Land, New York, United States of America
  13. Zairah Khan, BlueO2, The Hague, The Netherlands
  14. Venus Kashyap, Assistant Professor, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, New Delhi, India
  15. Naim Keruwala, Program Director, CITIIS National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, India
  16. Anna Mathis, Natural Resources Manager, City of Chattanooga, USA
  17. Nalini Mohan, Parks Program Coordinator, City of Calgary, Canada
  18. Paula Moreira, Project Management Office , Niterói City Hall, Brazil
  19. Irene Nagudi, Team Lead, Kichini Gardeners Initiative, Wakiso, Uganda
  20. Chúk Odenigbo, Directeur fondateur, Future Ancestors Services, McLennan, Canada
  21. Emilia Oscilowicz, Research and Community Relations Coordinator, Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability Barcelona, Spain
  22. Ayanda Roji, General Manager: Research and Knowledge Management, City of Johannesburg Parks Agency, Johannesburg, South Africa
  23. Mateja Rot, CEO and Founder, City Says and Head of international relations SUUW, City Says / Slovene Union of University Women SUUW Ljubljana, Slovenia
  24. Renelle Sarjeant, Urban Planner and Designer, Public Space Global, Earth Medic Foundation for Planetary Health, La Romain, Trinidad and Tobago
  25. Rasha Sayed, Professor in Architecture Engineering and Landscape Architecture, Birmingham City University
  26. Treasure Sheppard, Analyst,Los Angeles County Development Authority Alhambra, United States
  27. Christy Spier, Adaptive Communities Coordinator, Green Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
  28. Masamichi Tamura, co-chair / doctoral student, World Urban Parks (Ageing, Well-being & Parks committee) / Tokyo Institute of Technology (architecture), Tokyo, Japan
  29. Matthias Weber, It’s the Glue, Hamburg, Germany
  30. Gavin White, Director of Planning and Projects, Riverlife, Pittsburgh, United States of America
  31. Savit Willmott, Chief Executive, The Natural History Consortium, Bristol, United Kingdom
  32. Alexander Wray, Project Coordinator, ParkSeek Canada, London, Canada

Find out more about the Emerging Urban Leaders Program and World Urban Parks.