Danielle Soneff

Planner | Urban Designer | Researcher Passionate about climate resistance, public space and transportation.

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

About

I’m an Alberta-based urbanist, designer, and urban planner driven by the belief that better cities are built at the intersection of people, place, and design. My work spans municipal planning, community-led initiatives, urban design, and entrepreneurial projects, all focused on creating scalable, real-world solutions to complex urban challenges. I thrive in the spaces where disciplines overlap—where business meets design, design meets planning, and planning meets community. That mindset has shaped my approach and guides how I collaborate, problem-solve, and imagine what our cities can become. I’m passionate about planning and designing for climate change—seasonal and human-made—crafting public spaces, infrastructure, and governance systems that are resilient, people-centred, and built to thrive in all seasons. Curious by default, I’m always learning, questioning, and pushing toward more inclusive, climate-aware built environments. I genuinely believe critical thinking and design can change the world—and I’m here to help move that work forward.

Experience

  • Planner at O2 Planning & Design
    Mar 2024 - Feb 2026 · 2 yrs

  • Project Coordinator at Winter Cities Institute
    Apr 2024 - Sep 2025 · 1 yr 6 mos

    The Winter City Institute is hosted by the Winter City Hub in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, AB, Canada. With its position as a leading research institution and a thriving urban laboratory, the University of Alberta is poised to become a global center for winter city research and development. The Winter Cities Institute’s relocation to the university will enable researchers, architects, and urban planners to collaborate closely with the City of Edmonton, turning the city into a “living lab” for winter innovation. This partnership represents a unique opportunity to drive forward practical solutions to the challenges of urban living in cold climates, making Edmonton—and the University of Alberta—a hub for transformative, climate-resilient urban development.

  • Graduate Student - Human Geography at University of Alberta School of Urban and Regional Planning
    Sep 2022 - Apr 2025 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Researching winter city design and governance and how that influences human action and culture.

  • Brand Manager at ArtHouse Residential
    Aug 2018 - Dec 2024 · 6 yrs 5 mos

    This role was multifaceted, where I identified ways to optimize productivity, sales, operations, leadership, and growth planning while simultaneously marketing the growing business. Working with the owners to extract the company’s vision, I created its strategic direction, which included restructuring the customer journey within the sales process to maximize the user’s experience and internal efficiency. These combined efforts generated the foundation of all online media presence, grew a social following of 400%, and established a lead generation system that has resulted in new projects. I currently work part-time in this role.

  • Dialog Design Residency at DIALOG
    Feb 2023 - Feb 2023 · 1 mo

    In February 2023, I participated in this three-day workshop, where we sought to establish a critical narrative and accompanying design intervention for Calgary's East Village that explored the physical and social opportunities within a gateway site to downtown Calgary that exists at the intersection of corporate headquarters, residential new-urbanism, mass transit, arterial roadways, recreational pathways, bridge infrastructure, a river, and a social service institution.