Ellen Heinaro, SUD Alumni 2023

I’ll admit I was pretty clueless and unfamiliar with urban development when I began my studies. Also starting during the worst part of the pandemic did it’s job at making it difficult to engage with both academics and the university life in general. But having said that, I find it amazing how year after year, my knowledge has still grown, my perspective has widened so much, and I think I’ve finally even found my niche within the field that I genuinely feel passionate about. 

My first work experience related to SUD was working in the Building and Environment Control Department for the city of Espoo a few summers back. Currently, I work at Maptionnaire (Mapita Oy) which is an online community engagement platform for urban planners. In my current role at Maptionnaire I have enjoyed the hands on work I get to do with our clients every day. I offering guidance on questionnaire design and data analysis, help out with technical questions (GIS-related for example) and onboarding new clients to start using the platform for their community engagement projects. Getting to engage this closely with urban planners around the world, many of whom have been in this field for a long time, has been very inspiring to me.

GIS-skills have come to be very useful in my job. I’ve also found that understanding how projects differ across scales and what they entail (master plans, transit plans, neighborhood revitalization projects etc.)  has helped me provide clients with the most relevant tools and guidance for their projects’ specific needs. 

Defining which roles are suitable for a social scientist in the field of urban planning can be challenging. However I’d like to believe there is place for us now, and there will be in the future. And hey, did you know you don’t always have to know all the required skills/experience in a job listing? If you communicate your current knowledge well and show that you’re eager learn, you might very well find yourself interviewing for that position anyway!  Lastly, don’t fear to take on jobs from outside your field if the situation requires it. It will all work out in the end, I promise. ☺️