Alen John Idiculla

Hi, my name is Alen John Idiculla, I was born in Kerala, a state located in the south of India. I was brought up in Bahrain, an archipelago near Saudi Arabia, where I did my schooling. I did my Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering in Kerala, India during which as part of a rehabilitation project, my college collaborated with the state government to survey roads and buildings that were impacted by the floods that struck my state in 2018. During the survey, I observed poorly constructed, inadequately planned roads and the improper access to houses, which prompted my interest to study Urban and Regional Planning. I did an internship in ‘Urban Design Collective’ a company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that specializes in Urban planning and Urban Design. In this firm, with the guidance of my senior architects/planners, I learned a deeper meaning to what urban planning is.

I am currently pursuing a double master’s degree in urban and Regional Planning , MS and Civil and Environmental Engineering, MS at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. My research interests are based around designing sustainable houses that can reduce the impact from natural disasters such as flooding and real time flood mapping. I believe that integrating a civil engineering mindset into urban design and planning could lead to harmoniously blended innovation related to infrastructure with urban aesthetics, ensuring cities are not just beautiful but also functionally resilient and sustainable. Although I am at the beginning stages of this vast subject, I am eager to continue learning and put my intellect to good use in the future.