Validated Expert info
Expert can perform the Lead expert role and Ad hoc expertise missions at network and programme level in relation to:
1. The design and delivery of (transnational) exchange and learning activities
2. Thematic expertise:
[Digital transformation, Education, Participative governance, Social innovation, Culture ]
3. Methods and tools for integrated and participatory approaches:
> Integrated and participatory design of strategies
> Sustaining stakeholder engagement and translating strategies into actions
Summary
Dr. Anna M. Uttaro is trained as an architect and urban planner and a tenured educator.
She operates at the crucial intersection of urban transformation, participatory governance, and lifelong learning. Her unique 25-year professional path bridges academic research, multi-stakeholder facilitation, lifelong adult education, and integrated urban policy design, positioning collective learning as a core driver for sustainable urban change. Her methodology is grounded in action research and focused on integrated and participatory strategies. She combines empathy-based facilitation and strategic planning to help cities co-produce shared urban policies and translate strategic visions into actionable, lasting change.
As a university Tutor Coordinator for teacher training and a tenured educator in technology and sustainability in adult education, she possesses deep expertise in learning design and instructional methods. She is proficient in designing and delivering engaging transnational peer learning events, utilizing both participatory methods and advanced digital collaboration tools. She has developed methodologies and collaborated with colleagues across Europe through various Erasmus+ KA1 and KA2 projects, focusing on themes such as adult digital competencies, video-making and storytelling as learning tools, and community gardens as sites for social and urban transformation.
During the last five years, she has actively supported EU-funded projects (URBACT, UIA, Interreg) focusing on heritage, innovation, social inclusion, urban liveability, and digital citizenship. As Local Coordinator in Cesena for the URBACT networks KAIRÓS and Cities@Heart, she led the Urban Local Groups (ULGs) and co-designed the city’s Integrated Action Plans (IAPs) focused on cultural heritage, accessibility, and civic participation. In UIA DARE (Ravenna), she led the Digital Facilitation Team, developing digital inclusion strategies and designing learning activities for the quadruple helix (municipal staff, citizens, and professionals). In Interreg TEMPUS, she supported the temporary reuse of port heritage through community-building and engagement with creative and cultural enterprises.
A deep commitment to culture and social innovation has been at the heart of her interests for over 20 years. Her PhD thesis in urban studies investigated contemporary artistic practices in urban spaces as a driver for civic activation and collaborative urban transformation. This academic grounding provides a strong analytical foundation for her policy work, where she successfully integrates Cultural Heritage with strategic urban planning and social engagement.