Dr. Ataol is an urban planner & designer & researcher specialized in participatory urban research and collaborative urban planning with children. Her research analyses how cities can benefit from participatory approaches for better inclusive and just development & management. Her experience includes collaborations with non-professional groups as well as professional groups, such as local governments, NGOs, and foundations within the fields of evidence-driven policymaking and participatory urban planning & management towards creating inclusive and sustainable cities for all. As an urban researcher, Dr. Ataol dedicates her research to empowering children in urban planning since children are a distinctive user group of urban environments, as well as because the built environment is a significant indicator of children's physical and mental development starting from birth. Above all, because children are citizens of today and adults of tomorrow, their well-being in urban environments is a matter of nations' future. Therefore, she advocates for children's right to participate in every matter children think matters, including their cities, and believes in inclusive development for urban environments. Additionally, she has a special interest in the role of mediators, who can be researchers, architects, or urban planners, in enabling participatory processes for children in the domain of urban planning and design. Dr. Ataol is committed to achieving international goals and agendas, such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and New Urban Agenda (NUA), with children as urban citizens. Specifically, her scholarship contributes knowledge towards the implementation of SDG#11 –enhance inclusive urbanization and provide access to safe, inclusive, and accessible public spaces for all and NUA's vision of cities for all, promoting inclusivity, equal use, and accessibility.