AECOM's People Spotlight series provides an inside look at its technical experts around the world. Here, AECOM highlights a landscape architecture, design and urban planning director from its Montreal, Canada office and provides insight into her inspiration and work.

Djemila Hadj-Hamou has more than 30 years of experience and is the newly appointed lead of AECOM's Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Urban Design team in Quebec. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture and has a master’s degree in urban planning with a major in urban design from Université de Montréal (University of Montreal). Djemila leads a variety of projects of different scales and also teaches a course in urban regeneration at the University of Montreal.

Fascinated by how architecture can shape a city

Djemila has always been fascinated by the way architecture shapes a city, so she decided to study in this field and specialize in urban architecture.

"The balance between built environments and open spaces in a city isn’t a mere coincidence, but rather the result of a meticulous design process and thoughtful planning. Urban design links urban planning, architecture and landscape. Complex projects often require additional expertise, and I find building a multidisciplinary team to deliver a large project both challenging and very rewarding," explains Djemila.

Working on innovative AECOM projects 

When asked about her favorite AECOM project that she's worked on, Djemila says: "I’ve really enjoyed working on many projects throughout my career at AECOM, especially those that require an innovative approach and push us to think outside the box. I particularly enjoyed a recent collaboration with our rail team on a high frequency rail (HFR) project since I love projects that bring together multidisciplinary teams. My role in the project was to evaluate the options for closing level crossings and ensure the urban and landscape integration of the proposed concepts." 

Another one of Djemila's favorite projects was a traffic mitigation study for the City of Montreal. What made this project particularly interesting for Djemila was its combining of three concepts: street density, greening and car traffic reduction. Her team's typo-morphological approach allowed them to identify potential solutions and layouts for the urban context. One of the proposed solutions included a typology of thresholds and adapted streets including school streets, play streets, square-park streets and garden streets.

"Inspired by Barcelona’s recently-developed superblocks, we were able to rethink the design and transform these areas into more liveable and healthy neighbourhoods for residents. This successful outcome was achieved through collaboration with our local transportation and mobility experts," adds Djemila.

Positively impacting local communities 

As an urban planner and designer, Djemila works to positively impact communities with outdoor spaces that combine sustainability and cultural relevance, while artfully blending in with enhanced neighborhoods and improving the quality of life for residents. Djemila gives an example of a project that positively impacted the community: the innovative approach for the restoration of the pedestrian section of Prince-Arthur Street in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood that was completed on time to mark the city’s 375th anniversary in 2017. 

"Prior to our work, the street had been a route where bicycle traffic could often pose risks to pedestrian safety. We transformed it into a green, pedestrian-friendly and safe promenade for families and children to stroll past restaurants and cafes. The middle of the promenade is enhanced with terraces, furniture and flowers, a similar concept to the popular La Rambla in Barcelona," comments Djemila.

"Our innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly approach has guided the redesign of the street, giving pedestrians a feeling of safety to freely enjoy their strolls, while discouraging cyclists from using the pedestrian area. The street links the very lively Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the quiet Saint-Louis Square at the border between Plateau Mont-Royal and Montreal’s City Center. Distinctive furniture, multi-purpose flower box benches and its open space nature, make this area a local favorite venue for temporary outdoor events and seasonal activities," adds Djemila.

Getting involved despite obstacles

Djemila shares a piece of valuable career advice: "Get involved and be dedicated despite the obstacles that may arise along the way - it’s well worth it, as our industry has many exciting career possibilities. We are witnessing a number of paradigm shifts in many areas, so seize every opportunity that comes your way to collaborate with colleagues and clients, and develop innovative solutions and industry best practices that will improve communities and drive equity for years to come."

Join talented women like Djemila on innovative projects at AECOM 

AECOM women like Djemila are using their skills and experiences to uplift communities and improve people’s lives.

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