SCHOLARS

ACADEMIC PARTNERS: 
National University of Colombia, Medellin (COLOMBIA)
Columbia University, New York (USA) 
International University of Catalunya, Barcelona (SPAIN)
National University of Colombia, Bogotá (COLOMBIA)

BIOS:

National University of Colombia, Medellin (COLOMBIA)

Professor:
CATALINA ORTIZ ARCINIEGAS is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Urban and Regional Planning School from the National University of Colombia, where she teaches Spatial Planning and Urban Theory. She holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Studies from the National University of Colombia. Her doctoral research, supported by a Fulbright Scholarship, investigates the negotiation of large-scale projects in the context of downtown renewal in Colombian cities. Besides the interest on land management and large-scale projects, her current research involves tracing the trajectories of policy circulation as a strategy to unravel comparative urbanism mechanisms.

Columbia University, New York (USA) 

Professor:
CLARA IRAZÁBAL is the director of the Latin Lab and Assistant Professor of Urban Planning in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. She explores the interaction of culture, politics, and place-making. She primarily focuses on Latin American cities and Latino communities in the US. Irazábal has worked as consultant, researcher, and/or professor in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Germany, Spain, Vietnam, and the US; and has lectured in many other countries. She has been published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. She is the author of “Urban Governance and City Making in the Americas: Curitiba and Portland”; and the editor of “Ordinary Places, Extraordinary Events: Citizenship, Democracy, and Public Space in Latin America.”


Visiting Scholars: 
MARCELA TOVAR-RESTREPO is a Columbian  scholar and activist in women's and ethnic minorities movements. She obtained her PhD in Anthropology at the New School for Social Research (N.Y.) and her Master on Urban Development Planning at University College of London.  She has served as an international consultant mainstreaming cultural and gender rights into policy-making processes at different UN instances like the Commission of Sustainable Development (CSD) – DESA, UNDEF, IPU and the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues.. She conducts research on ethnicity, gender and development in Latin America and has taught in Colombia, Chile. Marcela is currently lecturing at Columbia University and serving as Chair of  the Women's Environmental and Development Organization, NY.


TOBIAS FRANZ is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Glasgow. For his PhD, he researches the question whether the concept of the “Local Developmental State” can be an effective strategy to reduce poverty in urban Colombia. Tobias holds an undergraduate degree in Politics and Economics from the University of Muenster, Germany and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Aix-en-Provence, France. He obtained an MSc degree in Finance and Economic Development at the University of Glasgow, in which he focused on the economic, financial and social development of Latin America. Drawing from several work experiences in Russia, Madagascar and Colombia, his expertise is the economic development of transition economies.



International University of Catalunya, Barcelona (SPAIN)

Professors:
CARMEN MENDOZA ARROYO is an Architect and PhD in Urban Design and Planning. Her research is focused on physical and social regeneration of degraded neighborhoods in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona and informal settlements in South America. She is co-founder of the firm DAC Arquitectura specialized in developing urban projects and the design of open spaces and social facilities.





SANDRA BESTRATEN is an Architect focused on housing and cooperation in developing countries. She has been president of the NGO University without Borders–USF, for the last 10 years, developing urban planning and social and educational facilities with social participation and is co‐funder of the firm Bestraten Hormias Arquitectura, specialized in sustainable projects using ecological materials, such as timber and rammed earth.



National University of Colombia, Bogotá (COLOMBIA)

Professors:
CARLOS TORRES TOVAR is architect, associated professor at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, School of Architecture and Planning. He teaches various modules at the undergraduate programme of architecture, and the master programmes of Habitat, Urban Regional Planning, Urban Regional Studies, Urbanism, and Housing Architecture. He is currently undertaking two research projects: Readings on the city: theories and perceptions on the configuration of the informal city; and Method for identification and valuation of intangibles aspects towards the construction of a social appraisal value. He is Doctor on Architecture and City from University of Valladolid with the thesis "Production and Transformation of Residential Space of Low Income Population in Bogota under Neoliberal Policies (1990-2010)"and Ph.D. candidate in Urban Planning at Central University of Venezuela with the thesis "Quality of life in the neighborhoods of Bogotá for sectors of low-income population, 1950-2010”.  He is also the general editor of the Journal BITÁCORA URBANO TERRITORIAL.  He leads the research group "Processes in Urban Habitat, Housing and Informality". He has published several books, articles and essays on national and international level. He has also led several research projects linking contemporary urban problems with habitat, housing and informality. He was Dean (2002-2004) and Academic Vice-chancellor (1998 2000) at the Faculty of Arts; University Welfare National Director (2000 - 2002), academic coordinator of the Master in Habitat (2006 2008) at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.


NATALIA VILLAMIZAR-DUARTE is professor of design studio and planning modules at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, member of the research groups “Co-lab in Architecture” y “Urban Project and Architecture for the Territory”. She also works as consultant in urban planning and urban design for public and private sector.

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