As part of CUI’s Applied Solutions Lab, Berta’s work focuses on research, policy analysis, and relationship building through meaningful engagement with the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She has contributed to several reports and plans, including a downtown plan for the City of Ottawa and a study on housing intensification along Main Streets. Beyond her role at CUI, Berta has led community engagement in North York’s Jane Finch community as part of the Jane Finch Initiative, as well as youth engagement projects in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood and within her own Assyrian community in the GTA.
Having spent her childhood in Iraq and Syria, Berta is passionate about studying cities to understand the diverse ways in which people navigate their environments. She draws inspiration from cities around the world to promote work that creates more inclusive communities.
Berta holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from York University and a Master of Urban Planning from McGill University, and is currently based in Etobicoke, Ontario—on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
What is your favourite way to spend a day in the city?
Walking around exploring different neighbourhoods, dinner with friends, reading and picnics in the park, and finding the best coffee!
