Kenneth Almario is a Sustainability Coordinator and Assistant Urban Designer at the New York City Department of Design and Construction. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture (2015) from the New York Institute of Technology and a Master of Science (2019) in Sustainability in the Urban Environment from the City College of New York.

As an undergraduate student, Kenneth became interested in the future of cities and the potential for applying innovative design solutions to the environmental challenges of our century. He focused on developing sustainable and resilient methods of design, aspiring to one day design functional and attractive spaces for people and construct buildings for a healthier planet.

Following experiences working in both the public sector (Build it
Back program) and private sector (an interior design Firm), he decided to attend the interdisciplinary program at CCNY. What interested him most about the program was the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded colleagues from diverse disciplines on new sustainable and resilient solutions. Classes like Environmental Planning, Cities and Sustainability, Industrial Ecology & Life Cycle Analysis, Environmental Policymaking, Applied Resilience by Design, and the capstone interdisciplinary team project have helped shape his career aspirations as well as develop friendships he now closely cherishes. Furthermore, the skills learned in these classes were directly transferable to his current position.

Within months of graduating from the program, he was hired at
the Sustainable Infrastructure Division at NYC DDC, where he now works on sustainability assessments for urban design projects such as the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project and the Red Hook Coastal Resiliency Project. Kenneth also collaborates with a diverse group of professionals to continue building green infrastructure projects throughout New York City known as bioswales or rain gardens.

Kenneth attributes his motivation to work for the city as a direct reflection of his experiences at CCNY where his professors, classmates, and advisor have all had a significant impact on his career. His professors encouraged him to think holistically about a problem and design solutions with all factors in mind. His classmates motivated him to continually change his perspective to better understand others.

His capstone project advisor inspired him to always think about the community as a stakeholder which should have a say as to what happens in its neighborhood. He is happy to have attended CCNY and would encourage anyone interested in the program to apply.