Daniel Besinaiz

Daniel Besinaiz is currently a second-year master’s student pursuing a degree in Urban and Regional Planning and a Certificate in Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility. Originally from Glendora, California, he received his bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Development with a minor in Sustainable Built Environments, from the University of Arizona. While in Tucson, he researched student gentrification around land-grant universities and the financialization of student housing developments in a post-Great Recession era. He also co-chaired the Energy and Climate Committee in the Students for Sustainability program on campus.

After graduating early in December of 2017, Daniel moved to Madison to pursue his degree at University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specific focus on sustainability, land use, and issues with gentrification. He works as a Project Assistant for the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture where he works on student recruitment, satisfaction, and retention, and helps to foster relationships with alumni of the department. He also serves as the public relations coordinator and the alumni liaison for the Wisconsin Student Planning Association, and sits on the Campus Planning Committee as an alternate.

In his free time, Daniel likes to travel and has a bucket list of Midwestern locations to visit during his time in Wisconsin.