Kimia Erfani, MSc. M.Arch. is a Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture at the University of Michigan. The cross-disciplinary experiences throughout Kimia’s graduate studies have sparked her interest in examining the critical role of design and architecture in creating socially integrated, equitable, and healthy spaces for living. She believes that architects, as agents of public health, are driven by the cultural and socio-political dynamics that allow them to be influential in shaping our contemporary spaces of care, residential spaces, and, subsequently, the designed environment of our cities and communities. Inspired by the global population ageing phenomenon and health policies around Ageing-in-Place, in her dissertation, she is focusing on the environments for ageing and understanding the interplay between technology and built environment to enhance older adults’ health and quality of life.
Kimia received her Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015. She also holds M.Sc. in Human-Environment Relations with a concentration in Environmental Psychology from Cornell University, where her primary research focus was on environmental design for mental and behavioral health. She is a LEED Green Associate and holds Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) from The Center for Health Design.
Selected Publications
Erfani, K., Brković Dodig, M., Groat, L. N., and Mankouche, S., (2019). Playing Pretend. In: M. Brković Dodig and L. N. Groat, ed., The Routledge Companion to Games in Architecture and Urban Planning, 1st ed. Routledge.