Edwar Hanna

I’m a Syrian based out of Vienna, passionate about development through the lens of urban design by leveraging the power of communication and networks. Although, one might wonder how these fields could come together, I’ve been eagerly looking at it from a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down one. Hence, in 2016, granted a Chevening scholarship, I’ve completed my MSc in Urban Design & Development from University College London (UCL-UK), while simultaneously working as the MENA project manager for the Communication for Development (C4D) Network in Oxford. By learning a great deal of knowledge on using communication to develop societies along with a motive for urban design, I co-founded in 2017 Syrbanism, an urban activism platform. Within the same scope, I’ve recently joined the ‘Diaspora Network Alliance’ (DNA) with 30 other Syrian professionals from EU countries to establish a space to advocate Syrians’ rights. I’m gladly on the track of becoming an urban-based peacebuilder.