Fitsum Gelaye

Fitse is an urban designer and planner who has worked on urban resilience and sustainability projects with a multitude of stakeholders including governments, academic institutions, global think tanks and philanthropic organizations.

Fitse has worked as an urban water resilience consultant with World Resources Institute, where she co-authored a framing report on the status of urban water systems in Africa’s rapidly urbanizing cities. Fitse has worked as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Urban Design at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she taught a graduate level design studio focused on leveraging social and ecological capital to revitalize Addis Ababa’s rivers and riversides. Fitse was also a part of 100 Resilient Cities, where she worked as an associate on the Africa Team and supported the resilience strategy development for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and other African cities in the team’s portfolio.

Prior to joining R-Cities, Fitse was working as a development strategy consultant with Dalberg Advisors in Addis Ababa. She holds a Master in City Planning degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BA in Architectural and Environmental Studies.