MSDUE Class of 2017–
Program Strategist, TYTHEdesign.

Michaela is currently a Program Strategist at TYTHEdesign, a capacity-building firm that uses the lens of design and strategy to support social impact. At TYTHE, Michaela contributes to workshop design and facilitation, written and visual communication and creating engagement tools. Michaela’s work has helped communities steward public space redesigns, supported nonprofits and governments to share tools that promote civic engagement, and has collaborated with various groups working towards more equitable and sustainable cities. Michaela has previously worked in participatory urban design, education and graphic design with Project for Public Spaces, Parsons School of Design, and Evergreen CityWorks.

Before coming to Parsons, Michaela received a BA in Urban Planning and Philosophy from Concordia University, Canada. During her time in MSDUE, she explored the power of critical theory to open up opportunities for more inclusive urban scholarship and design, and experimented with a range of methods and mediums—from graphic design to illustration, mapping, ethnographic research and spatial design—in considering topics of housing, environmental justice and the politics of public space.

Michaela writes: “For my thesis, I studied the impact and legacy of American anti-black racism on the urban landscape and explored the potential of reparations as an urban design principle. I worked with communities across the country to co-create urban projects based on the needs and aspirations of the people who live in them, and employed human-centered research and creative collaboration with organizations and institutions to generate meaningful change.”