Season 2, Episode 1: The Triangle Effect - Equity, Environment, and Economy With Nader Afzalan

Nader Afzalan is a city planner, educator, and researcher at UC Berkeley who runs his own firm called The Triangle. He shares insights on his background and work in urban planning, historic preservation in Iran, and policy focus in California. He details his involvement in designing public engagement processes to reduce emissions and air pollution in disadvantaged communities for the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Nader emphasizes the importance of genuine community engagement, trust-building, and impact over simply following procedural steps. He also discusses the significance of paying community members involved in public engagement and the challenges faced due to time constraints, limited resources, and bureaucratic hurdles. Nader suggests starting with the desired outcomes to create effective engagement plans and recommends being honest and realistic about what can be achieved. Contact https://www.thetriangle.io