EESAP14: Guest speakers

Senior Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Planning (BSP), University College London (UCL). Her lines of research focus on the governance and implementation of urban regeneration processes, as well as the interaction between planning and land markets. After graduating from the Higher Technical School of Architecture of A Coruña (ETSAC), Sonia worked for five years in the private sector, designing, developing and managing various urban projects, from street humanization projects to specific modifications of general plans. After completing the Master’s Degree in Urban and Territorial Planning from the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM), Sonia continued her academic training at the BSP, where she completed her Doctorate in Planning Studies in 2018.

Sonia has worked as a research associate on projects funded by the European Commission, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), and other organisations. Her most recent publications include an article (with Prof. Mike Raco and Ann-Marie Webb) about the complex regulatory framework of English housing associations and the impact this has on their ability to promote affordable housing; as well as a chapter on the role that the land category ‘brownfield land’ plays in the entire land classification process in municipal general plans in England.

Guillermo Borragán is an environmental cognitive scientist with experience in the integration of technology for the development of sustainable territories. His work focuses on integrating the social dimensions of sustainability in the design of energy efficiency programs, energy and climate plans, and energy justice policies. With a background in cognitive science, energy, and data science, he helps ensure the long-term success of these strategies by exploring the individual and collective elements that promote community engagement.

Before joining VITO/EnergyVille in 2019, he completed a PhD in neuroimaging signal processing and human performance using neuroeconomic models. As part of his postdoctoral experience in Paris, he developed digital solutions to integrate user demand response into local smart grids. Additionally, he led a project that developed dynamic algorithms to deliver personalized energy efficiency advice to homes. He has participated in numerous international conferences and is the author of several scientific publications. In recent years, he has been involved in several EU research projects focusing on the energy performance of buildings and neighborhoods, such as X-tendo, ePANACEA, the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) and streamSAVE.

Architect and urban planner (UPC), specialized in urban project management and public space (UOC). Head of the healthy cities department at the consultancy Bax & Company. Director of the Postgraduate Urban Planning and Health (UPC) and professor of the Master in Health Promotion and Community Health (UPV-EHU). She has extensive professional experience in urban planning and urban management. She was part of the drafting team of the Municipal Urban Planning Plan (POUM) of Vic (Catalonia Urban Planning Award 2020), coordinator of the project for the implementation of indicators and evaluation of the health impact of the POUM and coordinator of the European project URBACT Healthy Cities.

She has collaborated with the Barcelona Provincial Council, the University of Vic, the Barcelona Public Health Agency and the Urban Planning Consortiums of Parc de l’Alba and Gran Vía as an advisor for the incorporation of the health perspective in urban planning, and is the author/co-author of various guides, publications, studies and health impact evaluations of urban planning.

Architect from the University of Seville (1996) at the E.T.S. of architecture. Doctor in Architecture (2001) and University Professor (2021). Researcher of the TEP-130 research group: Architecture, Heritage and Sustainability: Acoustics, Lighting, Optics and Energy, belonging to the Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation since 1996. President and coordinator of the Academic Commission of the Doctorate Program in Architecture (since 2020).

Career within the research group: Building, Environment & Energy, specifically in two sub-lines: Room Acoustics and Energy Efficiency. Author of more than 60 publications (books, book chapters, scientific articles and conference presentations). Most of them refer to research in the field of energy monitoring and simulations, aimed at improving energy efficiency, environmental comfort and air quality in buildings. Research projects are also mainly framed within the line of efficiency and energy savings.

Doctor in Political and Economic Sciences from the Complutense University, she carried out postdoctoral studies at the U. of Michigan, receiving a scholarship from the Fulbright Commission. She has published more than three hundred works on paid and unpaid work, time use, inequality, urban planning and health; among others, the books “Women’s work”, “The shared city”, “Unpaid work in the global economy”, “Social inequality and illness” and “The invisible wealth of care”. She has received the National Research Award for Social, Economic and Legal Sciences and the National Award for Sociology and Political Science. She is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Art and an honorary member of the College of Architects of Madrid. She is an honorary doctor from the Autonomous Universities of Madrid, Valencia, Granada, La Rioja, Salamanca, Córdoba (Argentina) and UNAM (Mexico).

She is currently a research professor at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and collaborates with various United Nations organizations (ECLAC, UNESCO, ONUmujeres) on the integration of care in social and economic analysis.