Jennifer Lenhart is a Ph.D. candidate at Wageningen University’s Environmental Policy Group, the Netherlands.  She has a BA in Development Studies from University of Washington, and an MSc in Environmental Science, Policy & Management, jointly provided by four European universities (MESPOM.eu). Her research and passion centre on urban environments. A wanderer since childhood, Jennifer grew up across the United States (Seattle, Honolulu and Boston), often traveling to Europe to visit family.  She has lived in Malmö and Lund, Sweden; Budapest, Hungary; Khon Kaen, Thailand; Les Cayes, Haiti; and Nairobi, Kenya – working with NGOs, local governments, UN-Habitat and research institutions. Jennifer’s love of cities builds from a conviction that compact mixed-use urban planning provides a high quality of life, while reducing sprawl, ensuring open and natural spaces can endure.