Sheila Hakimipour, Principal / Urban Designer / Community Engagement Specialist:
Sheila Hakimipour is the principal and founder of Urban Diversity Design. She has near 20 years of experience in architecture and urban design fields and has worked for more than a decade in different communities of the Central Valley. Sheila’s work is focused on making cities a better place to live for all specially the youth. Her main work has focused on smart growth and projects that transform auto-dominated communities into thriving pedestrian-oriented environments valuing responsive and sensitive approaches to community engagement planning, natural and cultural resources, complexity of the existing context, and the character and history of the place. Reversing the paradigm of sprawl through sustainable and innovative design is a core value in Sheila’s practice. In addition to her work as an urban designer, Sheila is engaged with multiple community organizations that embrace local residents’ leadership to create sustainable positive social and environmental changes in the San Joaquin Valley communities. Sheila holds a Master degree in Urban Design from University of California, Berkeley, and a Master degree in Architecture from Azad University of Tehran.