Nader Afzalan, Ph.D.
I turn climate goals into programs that work—and prove it with data people trust.
I’m Dr. Nader Afzalan, founder of The Triangle, and, Director of the Sustainable Environmental Design at the University of California Berkeley.
For 20+ years I’ve worked at the intersection of climate resilience, economic development, and data—designing and evaluating programs with governments, universities, startups, and community partners.
What I do
Design & advisory: Co-design climate initiatives with communities—and align them with funding, procurement, and implementation realities.
Measurement that matters: Build practical metrics and dashboards so teams can track progress, make decisions, and tell a credible story.
Training & courses: Hands-on workshops and on-demand modules that help teams use data tools responsibly and avoid over-promising.
A few anchors
Supported climate and urban transition efforts totaling $1B+ in investment in the U.S. Middle East, Central America, and China.
Advised the White House, EPA, DOE, and the State of California on resilience, equity, and economic development links.
Helped build decision-support technologies, including the first statewide data system on homelessness in California.
Published 30+ articles and book chapters on urban resilience, sustainability, and economic development.
If you’re tired of shelf-ware plans and want programs that move the needle for real people, let’s work together.
Our story
It started in a meeting where a colleague, let’s call them James, presented a half-baked proposal. James suggested allocating over $250 million from a program budget to activities that none of the five people in the room fully understood. We couldn’t see how these activities connected to the overall program goals. Another colleague rightfully questioned why we shouldn’t allocate those funds to more relevant activities. James struggled to provide a convincing answer.
This scenario is common inside and outside of government. Often, teams are deep into the design and implementation phases but struggle to define the specific outcomes they want to achieve or the steps needed to get there. Leadership or legislatures typically set broad goals like improving job quality, fostering equitable economic development, reducing emissions, and enhancing community resilience. However, the difficulty of unpacking these broad terms makes it challenging to design and track the program’s success.
Ambiguities like these create inefficiencies, staff burnout, confusion, mistrust, and ultimately, less effective implementation.
That is why I decided to start this work—to help governments and other organizations design and implement their climate initiatives more effectively. The Triangle’s mission is to help organizations move from confusion and mistrust to clarity and trust.
