About Nels
About
Now
I'm an urban planner and designer living in the Boston area with my parter Eline and our three kids. These days I'm focused on cities at Stantec Urban Places.
Online
Living
- 1984-2003: Andover, Massachusetts
- 2003: Astoria, New York (construction laborer)
- 2003-2005: Lewiston, Maine (student, odd jobs)
- 2005: Sydney, Australia (student)
- 2006: Jackson, Wyoming (lift attendant)
- 2007: Lewiston, Maine (student)
- 2007: Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska (salmon fisherman)
- 2008: Mae Sot, Thailand (human rights activist)
- 2008-2009: Wageningen, the Netherlands (student)
- 2009-2011: Rotterdam, the Netherlands (urban planner)
- 2011-2013: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Fulbright Fellow and consultant)
- 2013-2019: Somerville, Massachusetts (urban planner)
- 2019-2021: Amsterdam, the Netherlands (urban planner)
- 2021-present: Somerville, Massachusetts (urban planner)
Education
- 1999-2003: Andover High School
- 2003-2007: Bates College, Bachelor of Arts, major Art and Visual Culture, minor Economics
- 2008-2010: Wageningen University and Reserach Center, Masters of Science, Urban Environmental Management
- 2017: Harvard GSD: Future Cities Executive Education Certificate
Certifications
- Envision Sustainability Professional, Institute For Sustainable Infrastructure (ENV SP #18561)
- LEED AP Neighborhood Development, USGBC (10907307-AP-ND)
- Municipal Vulnerability Program Workshop Provider, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Awards
- 2017 Charter Award, Congress for the New Urbanism
- 2015 Forward Fund Grant, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2016 Urban Engagement and Sustainability Grant, US State Department
- 2011 Fulbright Fellow, US State Department, Ethiopia, Africa
Fun and interests
- Natural media: ski touring, bicycling, sailing, surfing, kitesurfing, canoing, rockclimbing
- Visual media: drawing, photography, graphic design, sculpture, basic web design
- Renovation and electrification of an 1895 two-family home
- Organizing events: BYOB 2014-08-23, BYOB 2014-10-27, BYOB 2015-03-14, BYOB 2016-04-01, Cambridge PARKing Day 2014
- Exploring cities
- DJing
- Ultimate frisbee
- Games and game design
2022-03-16