From Urban Sprawl to Advocating for Community: The Xena Ivanova Story 🌆✨

Once upon a time, in a small apartment with a view of neighboring fire escapes and flickering neon signs, was a girl named Xena Ivanova who dreamed of more. Not just skyscrapers (though she loves those too) but people. The way they move, live, and thrive… and don’t in the cities we have made.

This is the story of how a girl who started as an intern running for coffee ("No, Mr. Johnson; no such thing as 'extra bold' in almond milk.'" 😅) became a voice for urban spaces that actually serve the humans in them. Spoiler: it was not easy.

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Could See Ghosts 👻🏙️

With a brand new degree in Urban Planning and all of the hope in the world, Xena quickly learned that cities are more than steel and glass; they are systems. And systems? They are made of people in them who would rather say "no," than "why not." Her first job? A note-taker extraordinaire, in meetings while men in suits argued about parking, families were being priced out of their homes.

But Xena also began to see ghosts. Empty lots where children could have played. Bus stops with no shelters where an elderly neighbor stood waiting in the rain. The "luxury condos" that stayed half empty while tents sprung up like mushrooms in their shadows.

She started asking questions. Loudly.

Chapter 2: The Fight (And The Fired) 🔥💼

Cue dramatic exit (of hers). After a particularly heated meeting where she made a suggestion to turn a corporate plaza into a night market ( "But where will the executives park their Teslas?," someone gasped), she was "encouraged to seek other opportunities," aka, politely shown the door.

But here’s the twist—that was her awakening.

Chapter 3: The TikTok That Changed Everything 📱💥

Broke yet buzzing with ideas, Xena started filming raw, unfiltered rants about city design—on her phone, between bites of the dollar slice pizza. One video went viral: "Why Your City Feels Lonely (And It’s Not Just You)." Suddenly, people she didn't know began DMing stories of their own: "There's no shade in our park," "The crosswalk disappears when it rains," "My grandma can't get to the clinic."

Xena realized: This is urban planning. Not numbers—but stories.

Now: The Revolution Will Be Urbanized 🌍✊

Today, Xena Ivanova is no longer just a practitioner—she is a sherpa for cities in crisis. From advising mayors on designing walkable streets to turning dead malls into community spaces (yes, the skatepark-in-a-former-Sears project you've seen CNN cover), she is proof that Passion + Persistence = Change.

Oh, and Mr. Johnson? He slid into her DMs last year. Asked her for career advice. 😉

Follow for:
- Unflinching takes on who really owns your city 🏗️💔
- Sneak peeks at radical re-imaginings of urban space (Rooftop farms? Yes plz.) 🌱🏢
- The messy, magical journey of a woman who wouldn’t shut up—and cities were better for it! 🎤✨