Gisela Williams For the last two decades, Gisela Williams has been writing about innovative projects around the globe that celebrate the intersection of culture, design, travel, sustainability, and community — from a village in Bali with bamboo structures built like giant birds’ nests to an urban garden and visionary neighborhood growing in an abandoned lot on Chicago’s South Side. She has traveled to Korean Buddhist monasteries with celebrity chef David Chang, wandered through the souks of Istanbul with architect Zaha Hadid, and strolled through the woods with author and forester Peter Wohlleben. Gisela has lived in various parts of the world including Indonesia and Madrid, Spain. She now lives in Berlin with her family and is working on a television series tentatively called “Survival by Design” about experimental and sustainable communities and projects around the globe. About Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is a top travel media brand with a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers. Our expert team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, and explore. We reach an audience that takes 76 million round trips annually, offering valuable travel tips, ideas and inspiration, and products you need to get you to your destination — whether it’s a small town or big city, beach or lake, national park or theme park, road trip, cruise, or long-haul flight, and everything in between. Learn more about us and our editorial process