My name is Muizz Akhtar, and I am a Master of Urban and Regional Planning candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles. I am passionate about how we build better, more environmentally sustainable cities for the future, both in the American South and the Global South. Originally from Houston, Texas, I am also a freelance writer who has previously worked in journalism, academia, nonprofit community organizations, and electoral campaigns.

Previously, I was a digital content specialist at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Before that, I was a fellow at Vox, where I wrote about public health, urban planning, and climate change in the United States and in China. Prior to joining Vox, I was an editor at the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, working on academic papers related to public health, education, and poverty alleviation in China. I also served as communications director at the Texas Data Quality Coalition, advocating for legislation to improve public health outcomes, particularly in marginalized communities. Finally, I worked as an editor on Mastery of Words and Swords, an academic book on gender, race, and history in modern China.