Klara Ingersoll
Klara Ingersoll
Master of Regional Planning Candidate

Klara Ingersoll
Email: kingersoll@umass.edu
Bio

Klara completed a Master's of Urban & Regional Planning with a concentration in Cultural Preservation in 2023. She researches interactive community engagement and sustainable economic development strategies.

Klara was the Client Liaison for Valley on Board, a collaborative project with the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Regional Planning and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, responsible for managing the Federal Transit Authority's HOPE grant. The initiative is focused on improving transit access in underserved communities, including Environmental Justice Communities, rural areas, and youth through research and planning. Klara led community engagement efforts, designed interactive engagement games, and facilitated workshops for Valley on Board. Klara authored the strategy section in the Valley on Board Final Report, envisioning a 20-year vision for an accessible, equitable, and efficient PVTA network.

Klara led the Wayfinding Working Group for Orange's Office of Community Development in Orange, Massachusetts as part of a planning effort to establish the historic downtown as a destination through a signage program. Klara collaborated with community leaders and the town's historical society to research the community's character, significant destinations, and historic resources to inform the design and planning process.

Klara was a graduate Teaching Assistant for Professor Ethan Carr’s course on The History of Landscape Architecture, and she served as Communications Chair for the Planning Students Organization. In addition to holding a Master of Urban & Regional Planning, Klara holds a Bachelor of Critical Media Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is an alum of the Foundation Year Programme at the University of King’s College. Klara also completed KPFA Pacifica's News Training Program, where she reported on housing and environmental issues facing the Bay Area for KPFA Pacifica's Evening News.