Ida Zeline Wexelsen-Freihow Lien
Partner & Head of Analysis

Ida Lien is an urban economist, with a specialisation in urban market systems and policy-work. Lien’s work focuses on how strategic urban planning can link vulnerable groups to markets and jobs, and the vital role of system-strengthening through knowledge production and analysis. Through interdisciplinary approaches, Lien has engaged closely with various state and non-state actors to develop and implement sustainable urban projects.
Lien has worked on urbanization and development-projects in Asia, amongst others as an urban advisor for UN-Habitat in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, Lien contributed to several studies and policy papers on the future development of Afghan cities, with special focus on land tenure and land allocation schemes for internally displaced and returning refugees.
Publications
2020. Oxfam, Oxfam Urban Programming Framework in the HECA region.
2019. UN-Habitat, Moving Beyond the Land Allocation Scheme (Kabul, Afghanistan). Unpublished.
2019. Forthcoming. ASF Sweden, In Situ Studio Guinea Bissau.
2019. With Ese, A., Dietz, J., and Wergeland, E., Jæren 2050 Syntese (Strategy), Jæren 2050 Statistiske
Horisonter (Statistical report), and Jæren 2050 Historisk analyse (Historic Analysis), the reports are part of a scenario planning and strategy for a regional plan for the Jæren region, one of the largest urban agglomerations in Norway covering 30 Municipalities.
2017. Innsjøar i Bengaluru (Reimagining Architecture, Bengaluru style), article in Arkitektnytt, the Norwegian
publication on contemporary planning and architecture news in Norway (Oslo, Norway). https://www.arkitektnytt.no/tema/a-snakke-det-samme-spraket.
2017. Å snakke det samme språket (To talk the same language), article in Arkitektnytt, the Norwegian publication on
contemporary planning and architecture news in Norway (Oslo, Norway) https://www.arkitektnytt.no/tema/a-snakke-det-samme-spraket.
2017. UN-Habitat, Discussion Paper series (Kabul, Afghanistan).
2014. LSE Cities 'The Olympic Bulevar' Chapter in Reconstructing Sarajevo: negotiating socio-political complexity
(London, UK).
2014. LSE Cities, ‘A Castle for the Elephant' chapter in The Resourceful City (London, UK).