Mitchell Sutika Sipus
Strategic Solutions & Design for Cities in Conflict
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About
Area of Practice
I assist government agencies, non-government agencies, and private businesses overcome complex challenges. I provide services to organizations interested in innovation, improving existing processes, and creative problem solving. I have designed, implemented, and managed successful projects within refugee camps, urban slums, and conflicted border spaces and war zones.
Products Offered
I develop concise, viable solutions based on available assets and mobilized resources. My work always results in an observable, objective result consistent with the interest of the client and other stakeholders. I do not subscribe to buzzwords or trends, but rather take each problem as a set of unique conditions requiring unique methods of research, analysis, and exploration.
My skill set is not location specific. I provide custom solutions to meet the unique needs of each situation and I excel within the most challenging environments. However I frequently utilize tools such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems), social science research techniques, digital communications, and open source technologies.
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Info
- Summary
Mitchell is an interdisciplinary Urban Planner specialized in developing strategic solutions for conflict and post-conflict environments. Aided by a versatile team, his company Sutika Sipus provides a non-military alternative to secure unstable environments and invent new markets.
Mitchell's personal expertise in problem solving for complex environments includes the use of qualitative/quantitative research methods, historic preservation, GIS, multimedia design, mobile tech, web design, and product design. In addition, Mitchell is highly knowledgable on issues of land use, organization theory, informal economies, forced displacement, militarization, and post-conflict reconstruction.
Specialties: Conflict Stabilization. Frontier Market Development. Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. Data Collection and Strategic Action Planning. Design.
Most significantly, Mitchell has an uncanny ability to go nearly anywhere, establish real relationships with the community, collect information, and produce viable win-win solutions for all project stakeholders. He has extensive experience working in active war zones, contentious border spaces, refugee camps, and among militant youth.
Experience- Oct 2012 - PresentDirector, CEO / Sutika Sipus LLC
As founder of strategic design firm, Sutika Sipus, Mitchell oversees an interdisciplinary team to provide private businesses and governments with the resources necessary to create new markets in conflicted landscapes and complex environments.
An interdisciplinary Urban Planner, Mitchell utilizes a wide range of technical skills and research methods. He has utilized these abilities to provide unique solutions to clients including the Municipality of Kabul, Afghanistan and the Municipality of Mogadishu, Somalia. He has worked extensively in Afghanistan, Somalia, Egypt, and Kenya.
- Jan 2012 - PresentAdvisor to the Mayor of Mogadishu on Post-war Reconstruction and Planning / City of Mogadishu, Somalia
Provided reflexive planning solutions to regional government, mobilized local resources to maximize economic productivity, and developed international rebranding campaign to transform the image of Mogadishu via better journalism coverage and better connections between the city and diaspora
- Jun 2011 - PresentInstructor / The American University of Afghanistan
Taught courses in ITCS and Political Science. Developed Afghanistan's first B.A. degree program in Multi-Media Communications. Acquired over 200,000 USD in software donations. Chairperson of Campus Action Committee on Campus Planning.
- Nov 2009 - Dec 2009Program Management Consultant / Samasource
Assessed 11 Nairobi partner projects to utilize micro-outsourcing process for tech-based economic development. Provided recommendations for improved communications, training, and management.
- Oct 2009 - Nov 2009Somalia Projects Evaluation - Consultant / Arab African Development Agency
Program feasibility assessment and planning for youth civil-society programming coastal Somalia.
- 2008 - 2009Project Coordinator / Youth LEAD Project at St. Andrews Refugee Services
Program design and management to reduce violence among Sudanese refugee gangs. Directly oversaw hip hop programming as means for creative expression and alternative dispute resolution.
- Aug 2008 - Jun 2009U.S. Fulbright Fellow to Egypt / U.S. Department of State
Researched the role of humanitarian and refugee law in refugee camp planning and design.
- 2007 - 2007Researcher / CARE / Norwegian Refugee Council
Conducted qualitative and quantitative assessment of refugee housing scheme provided by CARE and Norwegian Refugee Council to determine socio-economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability of refugee housing program.
- 2007 - 2007Project Planning Consultant / Save The Children UK
Site planing and shelter design for safe child spaces for vulnerable Somali children according to Inter- Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) standards and Sphere Minimum Standards
- 2007 - 2007Delegate to United Nations / SustainUS
Advocated for youth participation within sustainable environmental and economic policies.
- 2006 - 2007Technical Specialist / Gray & Pape, Inc.
Conducted qualitative research, GIS data collection, structural analysis, impact analysis and site assessments. Report writing, database development, and mapping.
Education-
2007 - 2010University of CincinnatiM.S. Architecture in Architecture
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2006 - 2010University of CincinnatiMCP in Community Planning in International Development
Activities: Engineers without Borders - Logistics and project planning for water distribution project in Nyando Kenya -
2008 - 2009The American University in CairoGraduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies
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2000 - 2004Art Academy of CincinnatiBFA in Drawing & Design
Activities: 2006 New York Studio Program Alumni at Parsons School of Design, The New School, NY New York
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:(Selection) 2009 UNESCO Fellowship Alternate in Post-War Reconstruction Education Sector 2008 U.S. Department of State Fulbright Fellowship to Egypt for Urban and International Development
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Tweets
- Crafting Truly Responsive Cities to Climate Change http://t.co/7AQTFe4B4m
- Agreed. This has been my complaint for years!...It's Time For City Planners To Adapt A New Model - Forbes http://t.co/xIym3GOf1s
- Seeking Urban Planning 2.0 http://t.co/M5h0InOs76
- packing up the house in Afghanistan. Been a pleasure, but looking forward to moving on.May 16, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- A new favorite: Coal.Light.Child.II.(mountain gospel remix) by sipus http://t.co/e3DdDdbpNa on #SoundCloud
- My new sounds: Coal.Light.Child.II.(mountain gospel remix) http://t.co/e3DdDdbpNa on #SoundCloud
- Crazy busy 3 weeks. Book chapter finished. This week at MIT. Then to focus back on Somalia. #exhaustedandlovingit http://t.co/422Ufw3W2N
- City. Text. Laboratory http://t.co/YUyWxnuUws
- Scaling Tools and Hacking Methods for Urban Development and Reconstruction http://t.co/os0RFzCANT
- Scaling Tools and Hacking Methods for Urban Development http://t.co/iE7aI8p74o
- RT @planetizen: Resurrecting Ancient Cities from the Dead http://t.co/VaqR1TxzgzApr 17, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Should We Paint the Sandbags Pink? Redesigning The End of War http://t.co/o4H4fWWex0
- New entries at http://t.co/eftZU52KGR! Check them out and make sure to add your own photos and stories from Mogadishu!Apr 15, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Resurrecting Ancient Cities from the Dead http://t.co/Shklxkj7ok
- now to get postgress.app to properly install... first won't connect to port 5432, then after i did the memory allocation problems contineueApr 08, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- #qgis problem solved! My proj framework needed updated... strange that it worked before, then suddenly not...Apr 08, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- need to get GIS functionality soon for data analysis for upcoming talk at MIT... seriously bad timingApr 07, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
