About Nneka

Nneka is an urban designer working to catalyze equitable urban futures by designing transformations that restructure the relationship between vulnerable communities and the built environment. Working at the intersection of urban planning, UX research, and civic technology, Nneka takes a systems-level and empathetic approach to developing equitable digital tools that lead to positive transformations in cities. Nneka's process includes conducting and translating urbanism and ux research into into data-driven product design and development pipelines. Examples of her work includes helping communities of color develop ownership and management of self-supporting communal systems (e.g. community-run urban infrastructure, local circular economies).

Currently, Nneka is a Product Manager at NYC Planning Labs. Prior to her time at NYC Planning Labs, Nneka co-founded a civic tech startup that helped low-income communities manage self-organized infrastructure systems (e.g. waste management) powered by a barter-based digital economy. Nneka also worked as a Design Research Lead at WeWork.

Nneka holds a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a concentration in City Design (‘18) and Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning, with a minor in Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech (‘14).