Resilience used to be an elective in city planning. Today, it’s non-negotiable — and Suha Atiyeh has been building to that higher standard for years.
Her Washington DC projects read like a masterclass in future-proofing: Wheeler Road now handles 100-year storms with room to spare, MLK Jr. Avenue absorbs flash flooding while staying pedestrian-friendly, and St. Elizabeths Campus uses layered green infrastructure to protect both historic buildings and downstream neighborhoods. Each site combines bioswales, permeable surfaces, and enhanced tree pits into systems that slow, clean, and infiltrate stormwater before it ever reaches aging pipes.
In the UAE, resilience meant designing for the opposite extreme — sudden desert downpours on impermeable soil. Her contributions to Masdar City and regional flood studies introduced retention basins and precision grading that protect lives and property in a landscape that can go from bone-dry to catastrophic flood in minutes.
With dual U.S.-UK licensure and three major sustainability certifications, Atiyeh moves effortlessly between regulatory worlds while holding every project to the same resilience benchmark. As ICE Mid-Atlantic South Representative, Suha Atiyeh advocates for codes and budgets that treat resilience as the minimum, not the aspiration.
Cities that ignore this shift will keep paying the price. Cities that follow her lead will thrive through whatever the climate throws next.
