Ana Polgar

Being a Public Scholar is about bringing multiple forms of knowledge into dialogue to inform science and decision-making. Urban planning is an applied science where decisions shape people’s daily lives, and I’ve learned that the best solutions come when expert knowledge meets lived experience. Public scholarship about creating spaces where communities, practitioners and researchers can learn from each other, ensuring that planning and research respond to real-world social and environmental needs rather than existing only in academic frameworks.

Public Scholars Initiative
Faculty
Faculty of Applied Science
Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD)
Selected Award(s)
UBC Public Scholars Award

Research description

Secondary cities like Santa Rosa in the Philippines are growing fast, often by more than 5% each year. Forests and farmland are being replaced by factories, housing and roads almost overnight. These changes put enormous pressure on local ecosystems and communities, especially since many of these cities don’t have the data or resources to keep up. My research looks at how urban nature, like tree planting, river rehabilitation or community gardens, fits with the very real environmental risks people face: flooding, erosion, pollution and landslides. In the Silang-Santa Rosa Watershed, these hazards are made worse each year by climate change, with stronger typhoons, hotter days and longer monsoons. Across the Silang-Santa Rosa Watershed, I am studying more than nine different “green interventions.” While nobody calls them nature-based solutions locally, they take many forms: fisherfolk removing invasive water hyacinth, lakeshore and shoreline restoration projects, a biodiversity park, floating grass beds to improve water quality, a private “eco-city” with rain gardens and bioretention ponds, native tree sanctuaries, spring conservation and community gardens focused on food security. These projects are run by local governments, civil society groups or the private sector — sometimes in collaboration, sometimes in conflict. Some succeed, some fail and most land somewhere in between. I focus on one flood-prone neighbourhood where different projects are happening at once: a lakeshore park, community garden, river clean-up, waste management programs and environmental stewardship efforts. By paying close attention to this local story, I explore bigger questions about how cities in the Global South can use nature not only to adapt to climate change but also to make everyday life safer and more just for their residents.

What does being a Public Scholar mean?

Being a Public Scholar is about bringing multiple forms of knowledge into dialogue to inform science and decision-making. Urban planning is an applied science where decisions shape people’s daily lives, and I’ve learned that the best solutions come when expert knowledge meets lived experience. Too often, maps and plans leave out whole dimensions of urban life: from informal communities to species habitats to invisible issues like groundwater depletion. When those absences shape decisions, they can deepen inequities. Public scholarship about creating spaces where communities, practitioners and researchers can learn from each other, ensuring that planning and research respond to real-world social and environmental needs rather than existing only in academic frameworks.

In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with this Initiative?

The Public Scholars Initiative can re-imagine the PhD as a platform for producing knowledge that is actionable beyond academia. Rather than focusing solely on journal articles or dissertation chapters, the PhD can generate tools that communities and local governments can actually use: interactive maps, dashboards, policy briefs or participatory analyses. In rapidly changing cities, where data is scarce and capacity is limited, these kinds of outputs can make a real difference: helping communities advocate for change, supporting local governments in their planning and opening up rigid systems to new ways of thinking. To me, that’s far more valuable than a citation count — it’s about making climate adaptation and urban nature more equitable, practical and grounded in the realities people face every day.

How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?

I see myself as a "pracademic", someone who works at the intersection of research, practice and policy. I’ve worked with local governments, NGOs and consulting in the past, and I want to continue impactful work using participatory methods to support evidence-based decision-making in data-scarce environments. At the same time, I am interested in contributing to the scientific body of knowledge and inspiring future generations, for example, through an adjunct faculty position. My goal is to bridge research and practice, ensuring that insights from the field inform theory and that theory strengthens on-the-ground action.

How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?

Community engagement is central to my research. In the Silang-Santa Rosa Watershed, I work directly with local residents, fisherfolk, barangay officials, NGOs and private developers to document ongoing environmental projects, understand vulnerabilities and co-produce knowledge. I combine satellite and drone imagery, participatory mapping, interviews and field observations to ensure that multiple perspectives — from marginalized neighbourhoods to municipal stakeholders — inform my analysis. This approach not only fills critical data gaps but also strengthens the voices of communities that are often excluded from planning processes. My goal is to make the research relevant and actionable for the people and institutions it affects.

Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?

I started to think of human society, especially cities, as very complex anthills. At the same time, I saw the nature around my grandmother’s village give way to tourism; the sea that once teemed with life became emptier and less colourful, and the sounds of wildlife I once took for granted gradually disappeared. The more I thought about it, there is a scientific fascination in trying to understand how humans as a species organise themselves and react to their environment. Those experiences stayed with me, even as I went into consulting and worked with cities on climate change adaptation. Over time, I realized that planning is often constrained by limited data, political will and resources, and that some of the most valuable knowledge comes from everyday innovation and lived experience. I wanted space to bring those pieces together: my scientific curiosity about changing landscapes, my practical background in urban adaptation, and my belief that multiple forms of knowledge need to shape planning. Pursuing a PhD felt like the way to bridge these worlds.

Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?

My path to UBC began with a conversation someone at the Barcelona Institute of Urban Environmental Justice, where my concerns about planning blind spots were encouraged as a fresh perspective. That connection led me to James Connolly, whose openness and research focus convinced me this was the right fit. Choosing UBC also meant committing to Vancouver, far from my family, but I was drawn to SCARP’s international outlook. Once here, I found not only academic alignment but also a community: environmental stewardship and volunteering with Still Moon Arts, foraging and learning local ecology, and connecting with people who value diverse backgrounds. While no city is perfect, Vancouver’s openness — where an accent is seen as a sign of speaking multiple languages rather than a barrier — has made it feel like home.