Meredith Glaser

2011
I moved to Rotterdam to accompany my partner in his studies at Erasmus University in December '10 and when I came across STIPO and Inspiring Cities, I was immediately drawn to their work in urban development and their multidisciplinary approach to solving urban challenges. Luckily, they had a spot for me on the team! I work on a variety of projects and activities organized within STIPO and Inspiring Cities, however, I'm currently focused on producing a manual that combines international best practices and precedences for "streets that work," especially for pedestrians and everyday passersby who experience the city at the eye level.

2009-2010
In December 2010, I completed a Master's in City Planning from University of California, Berkeley, with an emphasis on land use and environmental planning. Throughout the master's program, I focused on coursework dedicated to non-motorized transit, parks and recreation space planning, and improving health in urban areas through strategic planning and citizen involvement. For my master's thesis I worked closely with residents and government officials in a disadvantaged neighborhood of a city (Fresno, CA) that severely lacks physical and social infrastructure for a livable neighborhood. I also interned with an urban planning firm in Berkeley that specialises in sustainable and 'healthy' land use planning.

2007-2009
In June 2009, I completed a Master's in Public Health. My coursework emphasized food systems, nutrition and physical activity policies, and community nutrition programs. I became more and more interested in ways our environments impact our health and ended up taking a few courses at the city planning department. I learned more about this through an internship at a non-profit organization dedicated to health prevention by improving the built environment. Looking at health problems, especially in California and the US, through an environmental and city planning lens was enlightening and lead me to pursue a master's in city planning. I was also able to visit New York, Minneapolis, Toronto, Chicago, and Hawaii.

2006-2007
I moved to Berkeley, California. Before applying to graduate schools, I spend the year as a project coordinator for the City of Berkeley Department of Public Health, in the Tobacco Prevention Program working on city-wide policies, data gathering, and tobacco prevention efforts through social media and health promotion. This year I also traveled to Costa Rica and Mexico.

2005-2006
After graduating from undergraduate, I applied and was accepted to teach English through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). I lived and worked in a rural town 400km north of Tokyo, in the Miyagi Prefecture, teaching at a junior high school and three elementary schools. Japan hold a very special place in my heart.

2001-2005
I completed undergraduate programs in English Literature (BA) and Human Development (BS) at the University of California, Davis, with an original plan to be a teacher. It was only towards the very end of this time when I became interested in public health and community nutrition. I also met my future husband in English class in 2004.

1997
As a freshman in high school, I was on the varsity basketball team and played in the state championship for four minutes, scoring two points!

1992
We moved back to California and settled in to San Luis Obispo, a university town on the central coast. I was a sporty young girl, playing basketball, tennis, and volleyball.

1991
My family left the Bay Area and moved to Palau, an archipelago of islands near the Philippines. My mother accepted a nursing position at the main hospital. It was a fantastic time of swimming, snorkeling, and sailing every weekend.

1989
My first trip to Holland to visit my father's family in Den Haag. I really loved to jump on the trampolines on the beach in Scheveningen!

1982
I was born in Long Beach, California, and shortly after my family moved to Boulder Creek, a small village in the Santa Cruz Mountains.