At meraki we are a small team of visionary thinkers with a solution-oriented approach and high ethical standards.
Maren Luciani
Principal / Senior Planner
Maren Luciani, Meraki Community Planning's Principal and Senior Planner, has many years of leadership experience in land use planning, sustainability, policy development, community engagement and research for municipalities and Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States.
Maren is most recognized for her long-range community planning work, inclusive and robust public engagement processes and her dedication to healthy built environments. She has participated on several committees as a planning advisor including the Provincial Health Services Authority’s Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit Advisory Committee. Her planning and facilitation work with Indigenous communities has recently been recognized by the University of Manitoba City Planning Department's Indigenous Planning Studio program.
Working directly for municipalities and private firms over the years and working side by side with Indigenous community members to support capacity building and self-governance, Maren and her team have developed a strong understanding of the needs and pressures facing communities and best practices in community planning.
Maren is an avid world traveler and spends much of her free time experiencing other cultures, on her mountain bike or hiking with her dogs.
- Masters Candidate, Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University
- Registered Professional Planner (MCIP, RPP), Canadian Institute of Planners
- Master of Arts in Geography, University of Western Ontario
- Student Mentor, UBC School of Community and Regional Planning and Planning Institute of BC
- CPTED Certification (Levels 1 and 2), International CPTED Association
- Communications and Engagement Certification, International Association of Public Participation
- Indigenous Relations Certification, Bob Joseph - Indigenous Corporate Training
- Professional Geographer Profile, Canadian Association of Geographers
Saeideh Hejazi
Planning Assistant
Saeideh provides support with data collection and analysis, community engagement and research for Indigenous and municipal planning projects. She has a background in Urban and Regional Planning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Saeideh has volunteered her planning and mapping skills for the UN, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association and Crowd2Map Tanzania in relation to natural disaster mitigation planning. In 2019, as an Infrastructure Technician Assistant, she participated in some of the City of Waterloo’s municipal projects by producing maps and analyzing infrastructure data.
Saeideh is passionate about learning new skills. She recently started gardening and her speciality is herbs. Biking and painting are hobbies she enjoys in her spare time.
- Master of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Tehran (Evaluated by World Education Services as equivalent to a Canadian Master’s degree in 2017)
- Post Graduate Certificate in GIS, Fanshawe College, Ontario
- Bachelor of Urban Planning, University of Tehran
Josef Perszon
Cinematographer
Josef is our cinematographer of choice and brings a fresh, creative lens to the Meraki team. He has a background in corporate productions and commercials and has a natural ability to create enriching stories from the ground up, or the sky down when operating a drone! Josef's partnership allows us to support our clients with land use planning and community development from a rich, audiovisual perspective. His attention to lighting and camera work brings the most important pieces of the story to light. Through his detailed approach to editing and sound design, Josef's passion for storytelling emerges.
In his free time, Josef likes to stay active with activities like running, skiing, and rock climbing.
- Transport Canada Advanced RPAS Certification / Advanced Drone Pilot Certification
- Motion Picture Industry Operation Certification