Lia Soorenian

Lia is an educator and urban planner working with issues of climate change, equity, public health and community development.

As a first-gen student at Bard College, they earned a BA in Environmental and Urban Studies. They then earned an M.S. in Urban Planning from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University. In their award-winning masters thesis, they used spatial analysis to identify neighborhoods in New York City that are most vulnerable to sea level rise and to support the adoption of zoning policies that would improve social equity and climate resiliency.

They have taught at the undergraduate and masters level in environmental studies and health, including in the Price School of Public Policy. Lia has also conducted research as a practicing urban planner in the public, nonprofit and private sectors around design and policy solutions for climate risk projections.

In the Population, Health and Place Ph.D. program, Lia plans on designing a strong methodological framework that unites their specializations in climate justice, data visualization and environmental health.

M.S. Urban Planning, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University

B.A. Environmental and Urban Studies, Bard College

Hermann, DL, Hillemeier, M, Pouyat, R, Day, SD, Chen, Y, Soorenian, L, Urban Soil Management for Climate Resilience: A Guide for Adopting Best Practices from TreePeople and ARLA, March 2023.

Graduate Charles Abram Thesis Award (Spring 2017)

American Planning Associates (APA) NYC Studio Award