Her studies in statutory planning and the economics of cities and regions confirmed something she'd already suspected: planning can't stay siloed. She believes the future of the discipline lies in bringing together governance, finance and data, underpinned by community perspectives, to make decisions that are both inclusive and workable.

That belief shapes her research. Having founded Kolibri for Impact, Dhia has seen how investment in ageing urban infrastructure often fails to account for climate risk. Governing land and allocating resources shapes more than the physical form of a city. It shapes resilience to flooding and storm surges. It shapes housing affordability, and access to infrastructure and economic opportunity. Her current research looks at how cities can finance urban transformation in ways that look past short-term development pressure, toward lasting community benefit.

To Dhia, good planning combines integrity, evidence and the ability to turn long-term ambition into practical action. A well-written strategy has limited value if it's disconnected from the people it's meant to serve, the systems a city depends on, or the institutions responsible for delivering it. Good planning also means making sound decisions under uncertainty. That means using evidence thoughtfully and involving diverse stakeholders. It means making trade-offs clear and building enough flexibility for cities to adapt as circumstances change.

One of Dhia's biggest aspirations is to get better at connecting disciplines that don't traditionally work closely together. She's noticed how infrastructure, financing and environmental sectors tend to see problems through their own methods, in isolation from each other.