Katie Wholey
Design Critic in Urban Planning and Design

Katie Wholey is an urban planner, climate resilience specialist, and project manager at Arup, where she leads the Boston office’s Climate and Sustainability team. Katie has more than a decade of experience working with clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors to evaluate their climate-related risks and develop holistic strategies to enhance their resilience to natural hazards and climate change impacts. Her project work is grounded in supporting the development of a more equitable and resilient built environment, centering community needs and community voices throughout the project lifecycle. Her expertise includes climate adaptation planning and design, multi-hazard vulnerability and risk assessments, climate justice and social equity analysis and integration, disaster recovery planning and policy, ESG strategy, organizational resilience, and net zero planning.
Katie is an AICP-certified planner and holds her LEED AP BD+C. She is an active member of industry organizations, such as the Urban Land Institute, and speaks widely on climate risk and resilience. Her most recent speaking engagements include the keynote address at the 2024 NESEA BuildingEnergy Boston conference, as well as speaking on panels at the ULI Spring Meeting, the National Adaptation Forum, and the BOMA National Conference. She was recently named one of Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 40 Under 40 Awardees for 2024. Katie holds a dual BA in Economics and Architectural Studies from Tufts University and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan.