2001 KNIGHT SCHOLARS

Hector Burga
Before entering the Suburb and Town Design Program, Hector received his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Miami. He has worked in several small architecture firms in Miami. Over time he became aware that urban design was as important a part of the built environment as architecture. He believes that the practice of architecture is a civic responsibility of the individual to his/her community.

Hector has been very involved in work that focuses on the role of young adults as leaders and designers of their own communities. He is a cofounder of the "Cityzens" program at the School of Architecture, a program geared to working with youth to enhance their sense of place and promote civic consciousness. While enrolled in the Suburb and Town Design Program, Hector also taught design at Miami-Dade Community College and DASH (Design and Architecture High School).

After completing the program, Hector accepted a position with Torti Gallas and Partners in Washington, D.C., where he has worked on several Hope VI projects. He also teaches at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, MD.

Ivette Mongalo
Ivette graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of Maryland in 1999. It was there that she was first exposed to the principles of New Urbanism. During her undergraduate years she participated in several types of community service activities that influenced her growing interest in community building. After graduation she worked at Design Collective, Inc. in Baltimore, where she was involved in several planning projects.

As part of her assistantship work at UM, Ivette worked with Dean Plater-Zyberk to begin cataloging materials collected from architects, planners and public officials throughout the United States and abroad that will become the foundation of a New Urbanism library based at the School of Architecture. In addition to her future work as a designer, she is interested in participating in the political and educational process that will permit the New Urbanism to become standard building practice.

After graduating from the Suburb and Town Design Program, she began a two-year internship with Urban Design Associates (UDA) in Pittsburgh, PA, working on the development of urban design projects.

Christopher Podstawski
Chris is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, where he was introduced to the philosophy of New Urbanism. After graduation, he worked for Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York for three years.
As part of his assistantship duties Chris played a key role in the preparation of photographs for a book published by the Urban Land Institute titled Place Making: Town Centers, Main Streets and Transit Villages. His career goals include becoming licensed and educating the public about good urban design. While attending the Suburb and Town Design Program he worked at Dover, Kohl and Associates, a town planning firm based in Miami.

Chris became a full-time employee at Dover, Kohl and Associates after graduating. In his first two years with the firm he was involved in the design of several mixed-use projects in locations that include Tennessee, the Florida panhandle, and Colorado.

Erin Pryor
Erin is interested in building tectonics and the social implications of community building. She graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1999. She then moved to London, England to work under Demetri Porphyrios in his architecture and planning firm Porphyrios Associates. In London, she worked on a wide range of projects that varied in program and complexity, including the West Palm Beach Library Competition, which placed first.

Erin returned to the University of Miami to receive her master’s degree from the Suburb and Town Design Program. As part of her assistantship duties Erin assisted in the preparation of the Palm Beach County Peer Review Reports for Sessions 1 and 2. While in the program, she worked with Professor Frank Martinez at his Miami-based architecture and planning firm Caruncho Martinez Alvarez. She was involved with local residential projects and also collegiate projects including Carollton School of the Sacred Heart and Florida Memorial College.

After graduating from the Suburb and Town Design Program, Erin taught drawing and design at the School of Architecture at University of Miami before moving to Tampa to work at Cooper Johnson Smith Architects, Inc.

Felipe van Cotthem
Before entering the Suburb and Town Design Program, Felipe worked in Colombia for several years on commercial and residential projects, both for large firms and on his own. It was then that he began working on projects related to public space, including such projects as a ten-year territorial development plan and formulating codes for public space standards. He became interested in community building as a result of a thesis he wrote that examined the rail system and advanced the idea that public transit should be viewed as a community-building opportunity rather than simply a means of moving people from place to place.

As part of his assistantship duties Felipe assisted in the preparation of the Palm Beach County Peer Review Reports for Sessions 1 and 2. After graduation, Felipe plans to remain in Miami and work as a designer.