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:
[Local economy; Strategic urban planning; Urban Design]
3. Methods and tools for integrated and participatory approaches:
> Integrated and participatory design of strategies
> Sustaining stakeholder engagement and translating strategies into actions
Summary
Helping small and medium-sized cities move from urban challenges to realistic, shared and implementable action.
For more than 30 years, I have been working at the intersection of architecture, urban planning, municipal management and local development. My experience combines private practice, strategic consultancy and direct public-sector responsibility, including my former role as Head of Planning, Projects and Economic Development in the Municipality of Santo Tirso / Portugal. This gives me a practical understanding of how municipal administrations really work: their political cycles, technical constraints, limited resources, internal procedures, procurement rules, stakeholder pressures and the constant need to convert ambition into feasible action.
My work focuses particularly on small and medium-sized cities, where urban policies cannot be imported as abstract models. They need to be adapted to local capacity, institutional culture, available teams, budgetary conditions and the confidence of local actors. As founder and CEO of ad quadratum architects office, and as advisor to several Portuguese municipalities, I have supported cities in strategic urban planning, public space, urban rehabilitation, local economic development, housing, city branding and EU-funded cooperation projects.
My URBACT experience is strongly rooted in delivery. In URBACT III Re-grow City, I acted as Executive Manager and ULG Coordinator for Melgaço / Portugal, helping the municipality adapt and improve the pop-up shops good practice to address vacant premises, town-centre vitality and local entrepreneurship. The process generated practical tools such as open calls, transparent ULG-based selection, contractual arrangements with property owners, an online vacancy map, an anchor shop, stakeholder mobilisation and a strong communication strategy. In URBACT IV Residents of the Future, I supported Mangualde / Portugal as Executive Manager and ULG Coordinator, helping structure an Integrated Action Plan linking housing, public space, skills, industry, services and attractiveness for future residents.
My added value for cities lies in combining strategic vision with operational realism. By designing focused learning processes, facilitating honest dialogue between political, technical and civic actors, translating complexity into visual and practical tools, I’m helping cities move from diagnosis to decisions, and from decisions to implementation. I pay particular attention to what municipal teams can actually deliver, how stakeholders can remain engaged, and how action plans can become credible working instruments rather than formal documents.
I work particularly well with small and medium-sized cities seeking to strengthen their urban strategies, improve local governance, activate stakeholders and deliver visible progress with the resources they have. My approach is based on confidence, clarity, experience and disciplined implementation: building trust among partners, setting realistic priorities, testing solutions, learning from practice and keeping the process focused on concrete results.