Sofya Krasnaya

Sofya is an urban researcher and designer focusing on the nexus between social, environmental, and historical connections in post-industrial spaces. Currently, she is a Ph.D. Student at The New School with a major in Public and Urban Policy and a minor in Design and Urban Justice affiliated with Parsons School of Design. Sofya’s research aims at creating a space-making program for post-industrial waterscapes, with a particular goal of achieving water resilience, blue-green infrastructure implementation, and preserving cultural heritage. She worked as a landscape architect and researcher in Israel, creating sustainable solutions to areas with a high risk of flooding. She started her academic career with research on ex-Soviet single-industry towns’ environmental and cultural challenges, published several articles, and participated in international conferences in Australia, the UK, the USA, and Canada. As an urban designer, Sofya became a winner of international competitions in environmental and architectural design. Within the Urban Systems Labs team, she is involved in developing the Coastal Flood Vulnerability Index for New York City.