Urban Design Lab Handbook – Dialogue-oriented urban transformation processes and practical approaches from Latin America and the Caribbean

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Outlook
Jose Luis Vallejo and Belinda Tato
Jose Luis Vallejo and Belinda Tato are co-founders and
directors of the firm ecosistema urbano, established
in 2000 in Madrid. They have led workshops, lectured
and taught at the most prestigious institutions worldwide.
Since 2010 they have been faculty members
at Harvard University Graduate School of Design in
Cambridge and Columbia University Graduate School
of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in New
York. The ecosistema urbano office is specialized in
urban consultancy projects (architecture and urban
design) and public space quality assessment. It
leads urban transformation processes (from initial
conceptualization to final implementation), working
for local authorities, national governments and
multilateral agencies.
Mattijs van ’t Hoff
Mattijs van ’t Hoff is an urbanist who graduated from
the Delft University of Technology (1998) and thereafter
specialized in the field of urban economy at
IHS Erasmus University Rotterdam (2013). He has
worked for the planning and development department
of the municipality of Rotterdam on various projects
involving urban design and neighborhood transformation.
Mattijs joined Stipo in 2011 as an associate
advisor, besides working as a self-employed urbanist.
He is involved in projects relating to urban interaction,
business districts and the city at eye level.
Felipe Vera
Felipe Vera is a Chilean architect and urbanist. He
is a member of the Housing and Urban Development
Division (HUD) at the Inter-American Development
Bank (IADB), where he has contributed to the implementation
of the Emergent and Sustainable Cities
Program. Felipe collaborated in lending operations in
the Latin America and non-reimbursable technical
cooperation projects with countries across the region.
He was trained as an architect and urbanist at Universidad
de Chile and holds a Master’s in Design Studies
(MDes) in Urbanism, Landscape & Ecology from the
Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Lisa Vlasak
Lisa Vlasak is an Austrian urban planner who graduated
from the TU Wien. Lisa holds an MSc in Global
Urban Development and Planning from the University
of Manchester. Her focus lies on urban development
and regeneration in cities of the global South. Lisa has
worked in different international organizations, including
the Urban Design Lab within the framework of the
Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) at
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), for which
she developed an Integrated Housing and Mixed-
Use Strategy for the Historic Center of Paramaribo,
Suriname.
Olga Wainstein-Krasuk
Olga Wainstein-Krasuk studied architecture at Universidad
de Buenos Aires; she received a Master’s in Local
Economic Development from the Universidad Autónoma
de Madrid and a Master’s in Local Development from
UNSAM. She currently serves as the Director of the
Center of Housing and Habitat Studies (CEHyV-FADU-
UBA), Director of Interdisciplinary Research Projects
and Social Urgency, and Director of National and International
Cooperation. She is also the Director, and a
Professor, of the postgraduate program on Inclusive
Cities at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has
worked as a consultant for the IDB, UNDP, OAS, Chancellery
Argentina, public and private organizations,
and Fund.AVINA, amongst others. She is the author
and co-author of several publications, and has received
numerous awards for her professional and research
work.
Charles Waldheim
Charles Waldheim is a North American architect,
urbanist, and educator. Waldheim’s research examines
the relations between landscape, ecology, and contemporary
urbanism. He coined the term “landscape
urbanism” to describe the emergent discourse and
practices of landscape in relation to design culture and
contemporary urbanization. Waldheim is John E. Irving
Professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of
Design, where he directs the School’s Office for Urbanization.
He is recipient of the Rome Prize Fellowship
from the American Academy in Rome; the Visiting
Scholar Research Fellowship at the Study Centre of
the Canadian Centre for Architecture; the Cullinan
Chair at Rice University; and the Sanders Fellowship
at the University of Michigan.
About the Contributors
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