Shahzia S. Shazi

Shahzia is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Geography and Planning at the State University of New York at Albany, as well as a lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San Jose State University. She is a trained designer with expertise in 3D visualizations, urban design, architecture, concept design, and space planning. She obtained her Bachelor of Architecture degree from BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2007, and received her Master of Architecture degree with a concentration in Urban Design and Infrastructure from the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, in 2009. Her master’s thesis focused on connecting the city of Tucson with open-space design strategies and alternative modes of transportation to minimize urban sprawl.

At the University at Albany, she teaches graduate-level courses that focus on the importance of computer applications in planning, while at San Jose State University, she teaches a graduate lab-based course in digital visualization for urban spatial representation using industry-standard software. Previously, as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Arizona, she taught in two courses: 1) Design Communications 1 and 2) Foundation Studio 2: Drawing, Modeling, and Descriptive Geometry. As a designer, she has worked on various visualization projects for Behan Planning and Design in Saratoga Springs, New York. As a 3D visualization specialist at Newlands & Company, Inc. in Portland, Oregon, she managed and executed 3D design visualization projects involving architectural, urban, and interior design with the application of visualization technology. She also worked as a visualization architect at Brahe & Bestec, a Denmark-Bangladesh joint venture in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Shahzia is an experienced photographer specializing in landscapes, portraits, and events, and is well versed in post-production techniques using Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and other software. In her leisure time, she plays with colors through her paintings and 3D digital art.

Research Interests

• 2D and 3D visualizations in planning
• Urban design and revitalization
• Sustainable community planning

Courses Taught

• A PLN 503: Computer Applications in Planning (University at Albany)
• A PLN 552: CAD in Planning (University at Albany)
• URBP 248: Spatial Visualization Technologies in Urban Planning (San Jose State University)