With over 13.000 alumni worldwide, the IHS Alumni Network gathers international experts in urban development from across the globe. In this series, we spotlight the inspiring careers of our graduates. Meet Anahit, who completed the Urban Management and Development master’s program at IHS and is now making an impact as an Urban Designer at KCAP.
Building a career as an Urban Designer in the Netherlands
While completing her master’s, Anahit carefully planned her time and budget balancing a scholarship with limited resources, and began her job search early. During her thesis period, she gained experience through a short internship and, not long after, attended a lecture where she connected with KCAP partners. This meeting proved decisive: it led to her first role at the firm. Though it meant starting from a different level than she was used to in Armenia, where she had served as an urban planner and advisor at the Ministry of Urban Development, she viewed the role as a fresh start and a valuable opportunity for growth.
By taking on responsibilities, mastering new tools, and showing her commitment, she advanced quickly at her workplace. Her role centres on design practice and the creative and technical aspects of urban development, reflecting both her passion for the field and her commitment to shaping spaces through innovative approaches. The environment at IHS, with its diversity and peers from all over the globe, gave her a strong foundation to adapt, collaborate, and thrive in such settings.
"Social skills are just as essential as technical expertise in urban design. Projects are collaborative by nature, and it is the ability to work well with others that truly strengthens a team,"
Anahit Hovhannisyan, IHS alumna
Designing across scales
Anahit’s projects span a wide range of scales, geographies, and complexities, from large urban transformation plans to public space design, with a strong emphasis on infrastructure, housing, ecology, nature-inclusivity, and circularity.
Most assignments begin with research, brainstorming, and sketching sessions, where Anahit and her team develop early concepts for master plans, landscape layouts, and urban frameworks. These initial ideas are then refined through option testing and massing studies. They take into account computational design analyses such as solar exposure and noise impact, and explore how concepts can be more site-specific, inclusive, and future-proof.
Room for the river
While designing future living environments, addressing water management in public spaces is a recurring focus, particularly within the Dutch context. Anahit explains that the firm she works for is committed to creating resilient, inclusive, and environmentally responsible projects. They focus on assignments with social value at their core, addressing themes like circularity and social infrastructure. Whether through transforming industrial areas, designing new neighbourhoods, or shaping public spaces, these principles guide every step of their work.
Project Roerdelta in Roermond
Among her many projects, one of the most significant has been the Roerdelta dike reinforcement and area development along the Maas River. Over several years, Anahit helped transform what could have been a straightforward dike strengthening into an innovative, multifunctional urban landscape.
The design cleverly integrates flood protection through a mostly hidden green dike beneath a future public park, combined with the creation of new housing and integrated parking solutions. This approach not only enhances safety but also creates a high-quality, sustainable connection between the city and the waterfront. The project was both technically and socially complex, involving coordination with multiple stakeholders, addressing environmental challenges, and aligning with national flood safety programs. For Anahit, it demonstrated how resilience, innovation, and inclusive design can successfully come together in practice.
Community and networking
Alongside her professional work, Anahit also serves as President of the IHS Alumni Network. Recently, she returned to campus to offer words of encouragement to the IHS graduating class. For Anahit, it was important to create a meaningful exchange by sharing her own story, listening, and inspiring the next generation of urban professionals.
One of the most important pieces of advice she offered was to use the power of the IHS alumni network. With thousands of alumni across the globe, the IHS community opens up many opportunities.
