Ana Polgár
Ana is a PlanAdapt Fellow and previous Research Intern at PlanAdapt’s coordination hub.
Her research interests lie in the combination of nature-based solutions and locally-led action for climate adaptation in the Global South and the intersection between climate vulnerability and social inequality. Ana is particularly interested in the combination of participatory methods and GIS to assess the environmental and social impacts of planning interventions that aim to increase climate resilience, and she aims to continue her research and planning career in this field.
Prior to joining PlanAdapt, Ana has 2 years of professional experience with project management and spatial planning research. She worked at Transparency International Mongolia, where she initiated the research for the Spotlight Report (parallel to the Voluntary National Report of the Mongolian government) on the anti-corruption goals in SDG16. At VNG International, the Development Cooperation Agency of Netherlands Municipalities, she was involved in the DEALS project (Governance of Inclusive Green Growth in Cities), which gave her insight into the way local governments in different contexts deal with participatory planning and inclusive decision making. In the past year, she worked with Aidenvironment East Africa on the proposal for Sponge City Kampala.
Besides her work for PlanAdapt, she is co-writing a research article with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) on the application of nature-based solutions in the ASEAN region, and she is a volunteer in the UNICITI Climate working group.
Ana recently graduated from the Radboud University in MSc Spatial Planning – Cities, Water and Climate Change with a thesis on advancing the sponge city concept to address climate vulnerability of the urban poor in cities in the Global South, with an instrumental case study in Kampala.
Ana contributed to PlanAdapt’s work in the following projects and initiatives: