Us

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HABICO is a Canadian-owned planning and architectural consulting firm established in 1981. The firm’s president, Robert Story (B. Env.Studies., M. Arch., MAAA, MRAIC), is a registered architect and an urban and regional planner with more than 35 years professional experience in Canada and internationally in the multi-disciplined field of human settlements. Rob has designed, managed, contributed to or monitored development projects including settlement analyses, urban and regional planning, community development, social and economic development, infrastructure planning, resettlement, environmental management, institutional strengthening, participatory processes and architecture. Having lived, worked or travelled in approximately 100 countries, Rob has developed a thorough understanding of emerging nation development issues, working in cross-cultural situations as a member of multi-disciplinary teams, and working with international funding and development agencies. Rob brings to a project an awareness of, and ability to analyse and incorporate the complex range of factors affecting the planning and implementation of a project. Rob is particularly aware of the need to ensure that projects are appropriate, implementable and affordable while addressing the needs of a full range of stakeholders. Project success is based on first gaining a thorough understanding of existing conditions - issues, opportunities and constraints - as the key to sustainable solutions.

gio3Giovana Beltrão (M.Envir.Des. and B. Arch./Urban Planning - RPP, MCIP) is a Architect/Urban Planner with  more than 16 years of international professional consulting experience in human settlement planning specializing in low-income community assessment and development. Giovana expertise includes socio-economic analysis and development, community planning, sustainable development, and stakeholder participation with particular strengths in field-based community consultation and data collection. Giovana has participated in complex, multi-disciplinary planning and development projects in a wide variety of cultural situations including work in Mozambique, Mongolia, Lao, Bhutan, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Uganda, Rwanda, Canada, Brazil and Yemen. Her expertise has contributed a holistic approach integrating social, economic, environmental, institutional and physical elements.

Together, Rob and Gio have worked in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North America and South America for clients including CIDA, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP, the African Development Bank, Caribbean Development Bank, local governments and the private sector.

HABICO maintains close associations with a wide range of complementary professionals to address the comprehensive needs of a particular project.