Conoce al equipo! | Meet the team!
Mercedes Bidart | MCP 2019 | mbidart@mit.edu
I am a political scientist from Argentina (University of Buenos Aires) and Fulbright Scholar 2017-2019. At MIT I co-founded QUIPU, a MIT awarded start-up that aims to build economic justice in marginalized communities. My research focuses on how technology can foster economic democracy in spaces of informality. Before MIT, I worked for five years in the Cities Program of a Latin American Think Tank (CIPPEC), where I did research and knowledge exchange among local governments. I was also part of TECHO, a Latin American NGO. I love cooking, playing tennis and dancing salsa.
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Diego Castillo Peredo | MCP 2020 | diegocp@mit.edu
Soy Ingeniero Comercial (economía y negocios) de la Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC '11). Actualmente, estoy en transición entre planificación estratégica en el sector privado y planificación urbana para alcanzar desarrollo sustentable. Antes de DUSP, era Jefe de Estrategia de Red en LATAM Airlines, en donde lideré proyectos de expansión y competitividad de la red de rutas a lo largo de Sudamérica. En DUSP, mi foco está en la intersección entre métodos para medir desarrollo sostenible y redes de suministro en comunidades remotas, dependientes y desatendidas. Soy también co-fundandor de DUSP Climate, un grupo estudiantil que busca fortalecer la discusión sobre mitigación y adaptación al cambio climático.
I am an economist and business manager from the Catholic University of Chile (PUC '11). Currently, I am transitioning from strategic planning in the private sector towards urban planning for sustainable development. Before DUSP, I worked as Network Strategy Manager at LATAM Airlines, where I led projects for expanding and strengthening the airline's network within and beyond South America. At DUPS, my focus is on the intersection between methods to measure sustainable development and the role of urban supply chains in overlooked, remote, and dependent communities. I am also co-founder of DUSP Climate, a student-led advocacy group within the department on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
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Daniela Chong Lugón | MCP 2020 | dchong@mit.edu
I am a designer from Lima, Peru. I studied Architecture at the Catholic University of Peru and worked in that field for several years before joining La Victoria Lab. There, I was involved in projects covering education, digital services, and healthcare, and discovered my passion for Human Centered Design and interdisciplinary work. I am also co-founder of SOMA Lima, an emerging architecture studio exploring the future of design and construction in Lima. At DUSP, I want to explore how to apply my architecture and design background to City Planning, and learn from effective urban transformation processes to be able to apply them in Peru.
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Natalia Coachman | MCP 2020 | coachman@mit.edu
I am a Master in City Planning and Sloan Sustainability Certificate candidate at MIT, interested in subjects related to urban pedagogy, public learning spaces, and social entrepreneurship for educational development. I am a research assistant at the Civic Data Design Lab (Open Data for Transit and Mobility project), and I am also a member of MIT CoLab. Prior to MIT, I worked for 6 years as an architect and design entrepreneur across a wide array of geographies, leading the design development of cultural and institutional centers, public schools, and mixed-income housing projects.
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Daniela Cocco Beltrame | MCP 2020 | dcocco@mit.edu
Soy Politóloga (UBA, Argentina), Master en Políticas Públ
icas (IOG, Madrid) y Becaria Fulbright (2018-2020). Cuento con estudios de Posgrado en Planificación Participativa y Urbanismo, y más de 10 años de experiencia profesional. Antes de comenzar en DUSP, fui Directora de Innovación Social y Planeamiento Participativo en el Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hoy, a través del estudio comparativo de América Latina y África Sub-Sahariana, me enfoco en el rol de epistemologías alternativas en procesos de descolonización teorica y práctica del Planeamiento y las Políticas Públicas.
I am a Political Scientist (UBA, Argentina), and Master in Public Policy (IOG, Madrid) and Fulbright Scholar (2018-2020). I have undertaken postgraduate studies Participatory Planning and Urbanism, and I have over ten years' professional experience. Before coming to DUSP, I served as Director of Social Innovation and Participatory Planning in the Buenos Aires City Government. While at DUSP, through comparative study in Latin America and Sub Saharan Africa, I am focusing on the role of alternative epistemologies in decolonizing public policy, and planning theory and practice.
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Antonio Moya-Latorre | MCP 2019 | amola@mit.edu
Soy un músico y arquitecto convertido en urbanista. Gracias al programa de becas de La Caixa, he estudiado el Máster en City Planning en el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts. Trabajo en la difusión del arte para contribuir al progreso de poblaciones vulnerables en España y Latinoamérica y creo firmemente en la necesidad de un acceso universal a la cultura. Mi trayectoria profesional se puede seguir en mi plataforma A+M, un espacio en el que reflexiono sobre regeneración urbana a través de la arquitectura, la música y el arte.
I am a musician and an architect who became an urban planner. Thanks to the La Caixa fellowship program, I pursued a Master in City Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I work on the diffusion of art to contribute to the progress of vulnerable populations in Spain and Latin America and I believe in the need for universal access to culture. My professional career can be followed on my platform A+M, a space where I reflect on urban regeneration through architecture, music and art.
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Gonzalo Ortega | MCP 2019 | gortega@mit.edu
Aunque soy de Madrid, como arquitecto siempre me ha interesado la urbanización en Latinoamérica, llevándome a pasar temporadas en Brasil y Colombia y viajando por el continente. Latinoamérica es pionera en soluciones innovadoras a problemas urbanos muy complejos, un laboratorio de aprendizaje para un mundo en urbanización. Y la clave está en su cultura apasionante.
Although I am from Madrid, as an architect I have always been fascinated by Latin American urbanization. This led me to spend time in Brazil and Colombia, and traveling through the continent. LatAm is a pioneer in implementing innovative solutions to complex urban challenges, a living lab for a an urbanizing world. And the key lies in its passionating culture.
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile
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Joaquín Pérez Martín | SPURS 2019 | joapm@agro.uba.ar
Soy docente e investigador en sistemas agroalimentarios en la Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Trabajé en el Ministerio de Agroindustria por más de siete años. Soy doctorando en geografía y tengo una maestría en planifación y políticas de transporte, una diplomatura en políticas públicas, una maestría en desarrollo sostenible y soy ingeniero agrónomo. Mi experiencia se enfoca en el abastecimiento urbano de alimentos, y me interesa estudiar cómo mejorar la interacción entre logísitica y comercialización mayorista y minorista de alimentos en las ciudades.
I am a researcher and professor in agri-food systems at the School of Agronomy at the Buenos Aires University (Argentina). I worked at the Ministry of Agri-industry for more than seven years. I am a PhD student in geography and have an MS in transportation planning and policies, a postgraduate diploma in public policies, an MS in sustainable development, and a BS in agronomy. My research and policy-making expertise are focused on urban food supply, and I am interested in studying how policies can improve the interaction of logistics, wholesaling, and retailing of food in cities.
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Vanesa Toro Barragán | MCP 2020 | vtb@mit.edu
My life experience and positionality as an immigrant from Colombia yet integrated to an American life, drives me to be force for positive change. To date I have tackled climate change at the intersections of science and social justice in various sectors: sustainable development in Costa Rica, labor organizing with service workers, and community development projects in Sacramento. At DUSP I focus on climate justice, tackling the need for climate adaptation and equitable cities, with a particular interest on forced climate migration.
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Arianna Salazar Miranda | MCP 2016 PhD Urban Information Systems | arianna@mit.edu
I am a Ph.D. student at MIT interested in cities. I study the effect that the physical environment has on people. In particular, my research focuses on how the form of cities and buildings shape behavior, social interactions, and people’s access to economic and social opportunity. I study these topics primarily through the use of spatial techniques of analysis on large datasets gathered from social media or collected by sensors and remote sensing. Before my Ph.D., I completed a Master of City Planning degree at MIT and was awarded the Outstanding Master Thesis Prize for the 2016/17 academic year. My thesis analyzed the relationship between urban form and segregation. Recently, I co-founded Bitsence, a startup that develops technology to understand human behavior and measure the impact of urban interventions. For this initiative, I was named one of the Innovators Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review in Latin America. I am a researcher at Senseable City Lab and the Urban Economics Lab at MIT.