Nazanin Mehregan, pictured with Haiti planning team --front row, center.
For the past 17 months, our alumni Nazanin Mehregan has worked as Urban Designer at Architecture for Humanity’s Haiti Rebuilding Center (RBC). She first went there in 2012 for her three months internship, as part of the master’s program, and travelled back in January 2013 after finishing her thesis. During the time she spent with the Haiti team, she participated in several projects –three of them in the Port-au-Prince area: Villa Rosa, Simon Pele, Ile a Vache, and Grand Ravine, working together with local communities.
She described her most difficult project at AFH being Ile a Vache:
“We had to go to the field to map it, because there was no base data available. We had to start from scratch, and had to undertake really comprehensive mapping, looking at rural settlements and studying how these settlements were established. Physically, it was tough – because there are no cars on the island, people either get around by foot or by donkey. At the same time, it was a very nice and unique experience to see and feel people’s everyday-life activities and challenges in rural Haiti.”
Before leaving Haiti, she shared her experience with the team: you can read her full interview on Architecture For Humanity’s blog.