Our Leadership
Dr. Vanessa L. Deane is the founding principal of Pinchina and an urban policy expert whose research praxis is rooted in the political economy of disasters, primarily in small island developing states. Her scholarship is grounded in direct field experience: she spent a decade engaged in post-disaster institutional work in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, including leading a multi-year strategic planning and resource mobilization project in earthquake-affected Petit-Goâve and advising Haiti’s Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation. She went on to lead the #1 graduate urban planning program in the United States for seven years.
Amid accelerating climate change and the increasing frequency of natural hazards worldwide, she is currently exploring the postcolonial adaptive capacity of select Francophone nations facing current and imminent disaster threats. She previously pioneered a comprehensive analysis of Haiti’s ongoing institutional development challenges — leading up to and beyond the 2010 Haiti earthquake…read more
Meaning of Pinchina
Pinchinat (original spelling) is the maiden name of the founder’s mother and grandmother. Also, Pierre Pinchinat was a free person of color and political strategist in the Haitian Revolution (1791-1803). Lastly, one of the largest post-earthquake tent communities was named Pinchinat. With the confluence of personal, historical and post-quake realities, ‘Pinchina’ emerged as the most fitting name for this firm. The silent ‘t’ was dropped to assist non-French speakers with its pronunciation.
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Our Mission
The mission of Pinchina is to positively influence the holistic wellbeing of communities navigating change and disruption — whether driven by rapid urbanization, climate-related hazards, or institutional upheaval. Our urban planning, disaster recovery and resilience, and policy-driven research offerings help communities plan not only for the futures they envision, but for the disruptions they’re increasingly likely to face. The leadership, technical assistance, and consultation we provide empowers local stakeholders to take ownership of the present and future wellbeing of their communities — before, during, and after crisis.
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What Makes Us Different
Pinchina delivers culturally relevant and locally appropriate urban planning, post-disaster institutional recovery, and policy-driven research to the communities and stakeholders we serve. Our practice was born out of direct experience with post-disaster recovery, and that grounding continues to shape how we work: we don’t parachute in with generic frameworks, we build plans that reflect the specific hazards, histories, and governance realities of the places we serve. In the midst of a rapidly changing climate, growing socioeconomic inequalities, and varying governance and emergency-response capacities, we work closely with government entities, the private sector, community-based organizations, and international partners as communities move from where they are to where they can be — and become more resilient along the way.
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Why We Are Needed
Too many communities exist at the margins of our global society, and disruption — whether a hurricane, a flood, or a slower-moving institutional failure — hits those communities first and hardest. The need to address these disparities calls for bold and competent advocates who are willing to take a stand on their behalf, and to help them plan ahead of the next disruption rather than simply react to it. Pinchina is such an advocate: our work in disaster recovery and climate resilience planning exists precisely because the communities most vulnerable to disaster are so often the ones least included in the planning processes that could protect them. We ensure that the perspectives of the most marginalized among us are squarely situated at the forefront of urban planning, disaster resilience, and policymaking alike.
