The new Dunedin City Council urban design team leader has stepped into the role left open by the much lamented exit of Dr Glen Hazelton, the man who played an essential part in bringing the warehouse precinct back to life.
He was perhaps the first city planner to prompt a standing ovation at his last speaking engagement.
But Ms Filep certainly appears to have the credentials.
Asked about her favourite architectural period, she mentions a pilgrimage to view the works of Scottish architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
She has a master’s degree in architecture and architectural design and urbanism from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and a PhD in the social geography of urban design from the University of Otago.
She recently launched the New Zealand chapter of the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism, a group she says will enable Dunedin to learn from what comparable cities have done and to share its own successes with an international audience. Ms Filep has also travelled widely and studied in Europe. All qualities of the sort required to head the team responsible for urban amenity improvements, urban design and landscape architecture advice at the council.
The role Dr Hazelton vacated had once been two roles, urban design team leader and heritage planner, and will be again when Dan Windwood comes from the United Kingdom in mid-January to join the team as heritage policy planner.
On the achievements to which she will have to aspire in the wake of Dr Hazelton’s efforts, Ms Filep said: "One way to think about it is I’m filling enormous shoes, but another way to think about it is that I’m standing on a very strong foundation.
"I have a great deal of respect for Glen and everything that he did in the city, and I think he’s not only helped to physically transform the warehouse precinct in positive ways, and other bits and pieces around the city, but he’s also had a tremendous effect on people’s attitude towards the city.
"I’ve noticed it myself: people are a lot more positive, embracing the place a lot more than they were when I first arrived.
"I want to continue to build on that."
Originally from Colorado, in the United States, Ms Filep moved to Melbourne six years ago to be with her husband, who was from Australia.
Dr Sebastian Filep applied for a job at the University of Otago and she accompanied him when he came for the interview.
"Then we both fell in love with Dunedin and decided to move here together."
Her husband got the job and is now a senior lecturer in the department of tourism.
And Ms Filep’s proclamation of love for Dunedin is not just for show, as shown by her response to a suggestion that that was something one had to say nowadays.
"No but I do! It’s genuine, it’s very genuine," she said.
"It’s a really unique place.
"I’ve travelled a lot and I’ve been to a lot of different places.
"I’ve lived in Europe and travelled all over the world and lived in various US cities and there’s nothing quite like Dunedin."
She said the city was walkable and compact with "quite beautiful" heritage architecture.
It was also practical, with residents able to access functions needed without long commutes, as well as having good access to nature.
She is not new to working in the Dunedin environment, having already worked with others to develop design proposals for the Dunedin Gasworks, Caversham Station Park reserve and Moana Pool foyer.
Ms Filep said the next few years would be an important time for Dunedin, with the $37million central city plan rolling out, something that would be a strong focus for her.
Physical work on the plan was due to begin at the start of 2019.
Leading up to that, she would be doing plenty of consultation on designs developed in the initial plans Mr Hazelton and his team developed.
Work on the warehouse precinct was continuing, with Jetty St pedestrianisation set to begin soon.
After that, the focus would shift to Bond St, where improvements "in the same kind of spirit" as those being done in Vogel and Jetty Sts would start.
Ms Filep was also keen to emphasise her team was not just there for the central city, but also for the rest of Dunedin.
"We’ve been trying to get involved more in some of the communities around the central city, for example, South Dunedin and Caversham."
Of the heritage building owners who had been an essential part of the city’s renaissance, Ms Filep said it was "a real pleasure" to be nurturing relationships Dr Hazelton had established.
"They’re really inspiring people.
"They’re all really great, actually."
Further north, there were also people she needed to "reach out to" in George St and at the north end of the city.
"I want them to know they’re not left out and they’re at the very forefront of our minds."
