Photo courtesy of Mia Callenberg
Mia Callenberg is an architect, urban planner, and environmental engineer from Sweden who works as a sustainable cities specialist at the Global Environment Facility. In a GEF Voices interview, she shared the origins of her focus on supporting sustainable urban growth so both people and nature can flourish.
Could you describe a project or issue that you are currently focused on?
My work at the GEF focuses on sustainable urbanization and how to make cities better places to live. It’s a very exciting topic! Many cities in developing countries are booming, with many people moving to urban areas to seek a better future. This comes with a lot of challenges, but also opportunities to act early and create greener, healthier, and more vibrant cities.
Right now, I am working with countries and agencies involved in the GEF-8 Sustainable Cities Integrated Program, to finalize their new project ideas and start implementing these on the ground. For me, it’s especially inspiring to see so many African countries now entering the program. Several of these cities are amongst the fastest growing in the world and can become real lighthouses in the region.
How did you get into this line of work?
I grew up in the Swedish forest, very close to nature. From an early age I was interested in how the environment around us impacts our lives. As a kid, I enjoyed designing new worlds and maps in the computer games that my brother played. How would you lay out the roads, the fields, the forests in an ideal way to support his virtual villages and warriors? That was of course very far from how it works in reality, but that’s what caught my interest for spatial planning.
Later, I went on to study architecture and urban design. There, I noticed a lot of things being said about what was environmentally friendly or ‘green,’ but no one could really prove their claims by any kind of evidence or science. From there, I went on to also study environmental engineering and learn methods to assess what was truly sustainable.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The feeling of being part of something bigger – a large movement across the world that wants to transform the planet into a more durable and livable habitat. And I enjoy working with people who show true engagement. When you care for something, you will be able to make a difference. I think one of the largest threats to our planet is indifference – seeing negative development but still letting it happen.
What life lessons has your work taught you?
All problems and challenges are relative and context specific. I have worked on very high-end building projects in some of the most developed regions of the world, and there you will strive for perfection. You will try to reduce the energy demand just a few percentages more, try to make sure a few more square meters of nature can be preserved. On the other extreme, I also worked in refugee camps in rural South Sudan for some time where the perspective is so different! There, it’s all about making sure that people have a safe place to spend the night, not letting diseases spread, saving some of the trees so that the local ecosystems don’t collapse. Every place and every person must deal with their specific challenges and make the best of their situation.
The state of the global environment is very concerning. What gives you hope?
New brave generations speaking up and challenging the established norms give me hope for the future! We need to question everything, with integrity and respect.
What advice would you give a young person contemplating a career like yours?
It’s useful to know what path you want to follow, but don’t try to be too “strategic.” My advice would be to also follow your heart and do what you enjoy. Even though it’s tempting to plan an ideal career, from my experience the best thing is to remain flexible and jump on new challenges when they arise. I have made rather drastic changes in my short career already, because I felt that I could make more of an impact somewhere else, and it has always led me to even more interesting opportunities.
