V E R O N I C A E A S T E L L U R B A N D E V E L O P M E N T C O N S U LTA N T

P R O F I L E

My name is Veronica Eastell, I am a Dunedin-based independent consultant specialising in planning, urban design and public engagement. For the past eight years I have closely researched and observed growing innovations and dynamic interactions between built and social environments across diverse suburban and urban contexts. This research began in a nationwide project as part of a Fine Arts photography degree and then evolved with further study in Urban (Human & Social) Geography & Sociology at the University of Otago, where I consistently received high grades. Since graduating in 2014 I have travelled around the world to cities that lead the way in their ability to adapt and renew themselves in to sustainable, resilient, walkable, safe and vibrant twenty-first century cities. While volunteering during my travels, I trained under the guidance of some of the most advanced social and urban city developers in the western world.

E X P E R I E N C E

I am trained in emerging innovative fields backed by industry-experience that include: • public space activation and ‘Placemaking’; • human-scale street design and the psychology of user interaction behind it; • transitional methods that seek to implement walkable, vibrant, destination

downtowns and wider people-orientated city developments. My work is grounded by a deep understanding of space-specific and place-specific social, cultural, environmental and economic characteristics. I approach each case with macro city-wide ‘big-picture’ expertise and a razor-sharp focus on the finer details of physical urban design and amenity. My holistic perspective of city development recognises that the individuals’ experience of identity, use and sentiment of everyday street spaces are equally important to a city’s progress as traditional wider policy and planning initiatives. My work is driven by a passion to enhance the social, physical and economic wellbeing of Dunedin’s people with the intent of creating a sustainable, resilient, liveable, thriving city. My success in Auckland and abroad is motivated by my desire to improve Dunedin; the potential of this beautiful cityscape demands a fresh vision of 21st century city planning. I am proud to say I believe there is no better city in NZ to live and we are in for an exciting wave of change and growth as we embrace new ways of thinking!

021 1070 379 | vaeastell@gmail.com | @theurbanerd

W H Y M E ?

1. Fell in love with Dunedin’s architecture and streetscape the instant I moved here in 2009. I would never live anywhere else in

NZ.

2. Not your traditional urban planner or designer. Rather, I am a visionary for my generation in the industry who combines

the best of many disciplines.

3. Passionately curious about the interaction between built and social

environments.

4. Eight years of dedication to urban development.

E D U C A T I O N

BACHELOR OF ARTS (GEOGRAPHY & SOCIOLOGY)

University Of Otago2012-2014

BACHELOR OF VISUAL ARTS

(CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY)Dunedin School of Art

2010-2011

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS

(PHOTOGRAPHY)Whitecliffe College Of Arts & Design

2009

I have gained considerable industry experience attending conferences and professional events in the USA and New Zealand where I cultivated a support network of internationally recognised urban design leaders. Through my own initiative I dedicated four months of travelling North America to actively seek out cities whose histories and societal shifts relate and offer insight to the economic, social, cultural or built environment of Dunedin City. I therefore have an invaluable resource of firsthand experiences that can inform strategic developmental innovation in Dunedin. I worked with and learnt from local experts and residents in each of the cities I visited. Whether inspired from elsewhere and adapted to their own context, or entirely experimental all together, I took home many stories of these individual, community or city-wide examples of urban revitalisation. While travelling I exclusively intended to consider and apply environmental adaptation lessons to the urban fabric and social community of Dunedin and New Zealand contexts.

I hold a growing base of research and collaborative projects with real estate development experts and local developers that exposes me to zone management and planning projects, streetscape and public space ecology innovations, transport planning in Auckland and Dunedin, and the field of environmental (urban and residential) psychology. I am currently applying this expertise by volunteering and consulting on behalf of a handful of local non-profit organisations, as well as in my personal ventures, founding two non-profits called UrbaNerd.com, and the Dunedin By Bike photoblog. I believe small, low-capital initiatives pursued by local non-profits have a positive impact on the public's perspective and

engagement in our city's urban development.

T R A V E L

San Francisco Los Angeles

Portland Dallas

New York City Detroit

Chicago Oaxaca

A U C K L A N D

• My Reputation has flourished in the Auckland Urbanist network during 2016.

• Worked closely with many of New Zealand's leading Transport and Urban Designers and Planners on both professional and personal projects.

• My involvement and capabilities in the area has been positively recognised by NZTA, Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and Auckland Design Manual team leaders.

• I am passionately committed to applying myself to the developmental challenges Dunedin holds. This is evident in my decision to decline a job offer as the Community and Stakeholder Engagement Team Leader in Auckland Council's Chief Planning Office. I have the dedication to fulfil this position, to take on the Urban Design champion role for Dunedin instead, as my passion lays in this city’s unique character.

N Z P I C O N F E R E N C E

H I G H L I G H T S :

‘The political dynamics in protecting heritage: Hamilton City, a case study,’ by Hamilton City Council.

‘Avoiding the Wrecking Ball: ensuring heritage buildings have a future,’ by Christchurch City Council.

‘Cantonese History,’ by Peter Chin.

‘Keeping Things Moving – Thinking About The Future, Resilience And The Transport Network.’ by NZTA

Young Planners Congress, by NZPI

M R M I N I C O Z Z I

• As NZ Emissary of Urban3, Joseph and I collaborated to present to a crowd of 500 at Auckland Conversat ions as wel l as the international keynote lecture to the NZ Planning Institute Conference in Dunedin (April 2016).

• With economic data of both Auckland and Dunedin, we visualised the geospatial impact of policy on community design and city-value.

• Developed a NZ-specific example of Minicozzi's work that simplifies complex social, cultural and economic information, with a method that sought to include everyone with real conversations about community growth.

• This method is not only conducive to the DCC's values in revitalisation efforts thus far, but further, develops a unarguably compelling discussion about potential economic (and social) potency of our Central City Plan by embracing new building uses and street culture for downtown Dunedin's misunderstood areas.

ph: 021 1070 379 | vaeastell@gmail.com | @theurbanerd

C O N F E R E N C E S

PAST:

“Meeting the Demand for Walkable Places” the 23rd Congress for New Urbanism,

Texas, April 2015.

“Over the Rainbow” the New Zealand Planning Institute Conference,

Dunedin, April 2016

NZPI Young Planners Congress, Dunedin, April 2016.

Auckland Conversation Series, Auckland, April 2016

ATTENDING:

Festival for the Future, Auckland, 23rd-25th Sept., 2016.

Festival of Transitional Architecture,

Christchurch, 21st-24th October 2016.

PRESENTING AT:

Powerhouse Heritage Festival, Dunedin, 26th-30th October 2016.

W O R K S H O P S FACILITATOR:

“Past, Present & Future: Map Your Dunedin” Hosted by INTBAU NZ & UrbaNerd. Powerhouse Festival, 26th-30th October 2016.

“Happy City Applied” Day Course. With Charles Montgomery of The Happy City Lab and Hazel Borys of PlaceMakers, Texas, April 2015.

TRAINEE: “Making It Happen: A Course on Managing and Implementing Public Space Improvements”. By Project for Public Spaces, NYC, May 2015.

Kumeu Community Workshop. With Milenko Matanovic of the Pomegranate Centre. Auckland, July 2016.

Q U A L I T I E S & V A L U E S

CONFIDENT FOCUSED

EMPATHETIC INSPIRATIONAL

HONEST TRUSTWORTHY TRANSPARENT PASSIONATE INNOVATIVE

PATIENT AUTHENTIC

OPEN-MINDED DECISIVE

PERSONABLE POSITIVE

PERSISTENT INSIGHTFUL ARTICULATE

ACCOUNTABLE

During this period of freelance consulting I have: • consulted with the Dunedin City’s many strategic plans, many times over; • presented at 2GP hearings; • proposed practical solutions to transport systems; • run community workshops and managed public meetings; • written proposals fro heritage property investment projects; • excelled in open communication across all ages; • boosted morale with my leadership skills; • directed and coordinated nationally significant campaigns for sustainable urbanism; • networked further with government transport and planning agencies From my experience in the industry and the public sector, I now believe the most powerful tool the Dunedin City Council can embrace to gain support for change is it’s own contribution in working towards enriching the public’s understanding of contemporary, sustainable methods for thriving city developments and progress. Public perspective and support is incredibly powerful resource when driven with a positive hand, and with the right skills can be enhanced by someone who crosses boundaries of generational differences in communication. These months of community work have equipped me with an in-depth understanding into the many methods of communication, with a vocabulary of inbuilt trust, applying myself with ‘logical empathy’ to ensure critical thinking and feedback without personal agenda.

P R E V I O U S W O R K E X P E R I E N C E

• Workshop Design and Photography, Earnest Co / Auckland / Oct to Nov ’15 • Human Geography GEOG102 Tutor & Demonstrator / Dunedin / June to Aug ’15 • Retail Merchandise Buyer & Curator, Hydro Surf Store / Dunedin / Jan to April ’15. • Otago University Summer ‘Child-Friendly Cities’ Scholarship / Dunedin / Dec ‘14 to Mar ’15 • Otago University Casual Research Assistant / Dunedin / Jan ’14 to Dec ’14 • Otago University Student / Dunedin / July ’12 to Dec ’14 • 3IC Management, Hallensteins / Dunedin / Feb to July ’12 • OSCAR accredited School Holiday Programme Management and Coordinator / Auckland / ’10 to ‘13 • Fashion Industry Photographer’s Apprentice / Auckland / ’11 to ’12

P U B L I C A T I O N & M A J O R P R O J E C T S F o r f i l e s & f u l l d e t a i l s v i s i t v e r o n i c a e a s t e l l . c o m

2016 ‘UrbaNerd Dunedin: Heritage, History and Future Series’, soon to be published on TransportBlog.co.nz, Strong Towns and International Network of Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism (INTBAU) NZ.

2015 “ Public Spaces Of Our Warehouse Precinct: A Perspective Of Dunedin From New York City.” Presentation To Project For Public Spaces Foundation, New York.

2015 “Too Chilled” For The Child-Friendly Cities Initiative? A New Zealand Perspective.” 2014 “Preservation Heritage Planning And Mixed Use Zones In The Case Of Dunedin, New Zealand.” 2014 “Simple Living And Extraordinary Health: An Enhanced Wellbeing Through Individual Experience Of

Wanaka’s Therapeutic Landscapes.” 2011 “Utopia” Photography Exhibition, Graduate SITE’11 Show. 2010 “Street View Exhibition” Stafford Street Space, Collaborative Show. 2010 “Community Within Community Series: Art School Blog” at vaeastell.wordpress.com

A W A R D S & H O N O U R S • ‘A’ (85%+) grade category average across all of Geography 200 & 300 level papers (7.0 GPA 300 level). • Top Achiever Awards on four occasions in the Geography Department over the 2013 to 2014 period. • Awarded as Top Achiever from Sociology Department overall in 2013 as well as the individual papers

‘Sociological Research in Practice’ and ‘Global Politics of Food’. • Awarded the George Pearce Scholarship at age 16 for academic excellence, all-round ability and

leadership potential among new entrants to the Whiteclliffe School of Arts & Design BFA programme. • Summer 2015 Student Scholarship to investigate the Child-Friendly cities concept applied in NZ. • Two Bronze New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography “Iris Awards”, 2010.

ph: 021 1070 379 | vaeastell@gmail.com | @theurbanerd

W O R K P L A C E

Heidelberg Project, Detroit 2015

Generation Zero, Auckland 2016

Auckland Transport, Auckland 2016

New Zealand Transport, Auckland and

Dunedin, 2015-2016

Urban3, Asheville/Auckland/Dunedin 2016

BusGo, Dunedin 2016

Spokes Dunedin, Dunedin 2016

Transport Blog, Auckland 2016

Auckland Design Manual, Auckland 2016

MRCagney Ltd, Auckland 2016

Urban Dream Brokerage, Dunedin 2016

FELLOW URBAN ‘NERDS’:

Joe Minicozzi (Urban3)

Fred Kent (PPS) Greg Vann (Buckley Vann)

Katrina Zimmerman (Think.Urban.org)

Charles Montgomery (Happy City) Kent Lundberg (MRCagney Pty Ltd)

C O N T I N U E D E D U C A T I O N

"Design Practice in Business" course with Delft University of Technology.

August 2016

"Reclaiming Broken Places: Introduction to Civic Ecology" via edX by Cornell University.

September 2016

"Smart Cities" in the 'Future Cities' edXSeries, ETH Zurich.

October 2016

W R I T T E N R E F E R E N C E S Joe Minnicozzi, AICP. Urban3, Congress for New Urbanism Asheville, NC, USA Associate Experience in NZ, 2016 (Written letter attached below) joe@urban-three.com Dr Marcelle Dawson, MA (RAU) DPhil (Oxon). Expertise: “Social Movements & Popular Protest; Grassroots Politics; Social Identities” Sociology Lecturer, Otago University. Dunedin 2013 - 2014 03) 479 8113 marcelle.dawson@otago.ac.nz

Katherine Greer Co-owner and Director Hydro Surf Store. Dunedin, 2015 03) 477 0429 katherine@hydrosurf.co.nz

P H O N E R E F E R E N C E S

Hayden Cawte, New Zealand Heritage Properties Company Director, Local Developer, Co-working Colleague & Friend 0276006152 (03) 477 3933 hayden.cawte@gmail.com

Crystal Filep International Network of Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism (INTBAU), Chapter Chair NZ crystal@fivicry.com 02102827006 Hugh Campbell Head of Dept: Sociology, Gender and Social Work, Professor of Sociology, University of Otago. DDI: 03-4798749 Chritsina Ergler, Diplom (Bonn), PhD (Auck).Expertise: “Geographies of Children's Wellbeing in Urban Environments”.Lecturer, & Supervisor for CFC Scholarship Otago University, 2013-2015 christina.ergler@otago.ac.nz 03) 470 4647

L I N K E D I N nz.linkedin.com/in/veastell

W E S B I T E www.veronicaeastell.com

T W I T T E R www.twitter.com/theurbanerd

I N S T A G R A M www.instagram.com/theurbanerd

D U N E D I N B Y B I K E www.dunedinbybike.nz

ph: 021 1070 379 | vaeastell@gmail.com | @theurbanerd

Sophie Bond, LLB, MPlan, PhD (Otago). Expertise: “Inequality, Identity, Power and Place” Senior Lecturer, Mentor and Supervisor, Otago University. Dunedin 2012 - 2015 03) 479 3068 sophie.bond@otago.ac.nz

Steph Taylor, BA, MPlan in working (Otago). Geography Masters Student, UrbaNerd Recruit. University of Otago 2014 - 2016 Dunedin 027 352 1081