For over 30 years I have been working as an urban practitioner, policy maker and facilitator at EU and local level.

I am fortunate to have worked directly with URBACT for 14 years now. I started out as Lead Expert of the Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe network, and from 2013 to 2023 have been Programme Expert. Over this period I have supported all three programme strands of transnational exchange and learning, capacity building and knowledge capitalisation. I have been in the design team of all URBACT Universities and City Festivals. As a member of the Capacity Building Task Force, I developed Guidance for Action Planning, supported studies on the integrated approach, pilot actions and co-produced new online training modules on Gender Responsive Public Procurement (GRPP). I led the Gender Equal Cities Knowledge Hub initiative, producing the first report and disseminating its powerful ideas across many platforms such as UN Habitat.

At EU level I am also an Expert for European Urban Initiative Capacity Building team conducting Peer Reviews. I have been the moderator for two editions of the European Commission Cities Forum.

I keep my feet on the ground working at local level in London on strategy design and project delivery. I managed the development of the London Borough of Lambeth Creative and Digital Industries Strategy, which incorporated review of workspace, cluster effects, activation of the public realm and strong focus on diversity and inclusion. I was expert for the Mayor of London’s Social Integration and Regeneration Lab and Network- a network of boroughs each with a specific place-based project to create buildings/ high streets/ open spaces that connect communities. I currently work with a multi-agency coalition to embed inclusion in the Life Sciences sector.

I have a strong belief in and commitment to the URBACT approach, having witnessed its positive impact. The URBACT method helps cities to develop better integrated policy, to channel resources towards well-conceived, evidence based and needs-led initiatives. The transnational exchange serves to connect people, ideas and knowledge in our common mission to drive sustainability at local level.

I look forward to supporting more city change-makers across the EU, in order to address the multiple challenges we face. Feel free to get in touch to explore new collaborations!

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Pablo Muñoz Unceta is an architect specialized in urbanism, with professional experience in Latin America and Europe. He has lived and worked in Lima, Rotterdam, and Barcelona. He holds a master’s degree in architecture from UPM University (Spain) and a MSc graduate Cum Laude in the European Post-Master of Urbanism at TU Delft (The Netherlands). He leads the Barcelona branch of Paisaje Transversal, a company supporting local governments in Sustainable Urban Development that has been URBACT Spanish national point between 2017 and 2023. He also develops research on urban studies as Strategic Advisor on Productive Cities for Fab Lab Barcelona, where he has collaborated in EU research projects such as Reflow or CENTRINNO.

Pablo works at the intersection of strategic planning, spatial analysis, collaborative governance, and urban policy, on topics such as housing, climate change adaptation, and circular economy. He has developed his professional practice in private companies and public institutions, such as the Municipality of Lima, CESAL, the World Bank, TU Delft, ecosistema urbano, delta metropool, Paisaje Transversal or the Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory. During the last 7 years he has been involved in research projects and published different articles with the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, TU Delft University, and Wageningen University & Research. He currently lectures at the Master of City and Technology in the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia and has also lectured and given presentations in several universities and institutions, such as the PUCP University in Lima (Peru), or the IBA Research Lab in Vienna (Austria).

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Since 2020, I am working at Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband, Germany's largest water board, as Project Director of Emscherland, of the International Garden Exposition 2027 and of Emscher 2020. Professional experiences range from integral project coordination to the development of climate change adaptation strategies, the designing of public participation processes and the organization of (international) events. 

I am specialised in working on large scale green infrastructure programs, regional master planning and climate change adaptation in the city. As a lecturer at the Department of Spatial Planning, Technical University of Dortmund and at the Department of Geosciences, Ruhr University Bochum, I enjoy teaching a new generation of (international) city planners the possibilities of large scale green megaprojects. I further work as a counselor for international cooperations in both European and non-European countries with the focus on integral water management solutions and on transformative governance within public administration.

I hold a Master's Degree in Geography, French, Spanish and Portuguese and a PhD in Social Science. With more than 9 years experience in teaching at the university, I have a proven track record in research and development related to social inequalities, urban planning, strategic masterplan designing, public space and landscape creation across Germany and abroad.

My mission is to engage in a deeper dialogue with highly engaged program partners from different regions and countries in Europe in order to discuss sustainable solutions to city planning under the scope of climate change. I am fully devoted to capacity building and I love to bring together different cultures, perspectives and planning approaches within the overall process of project management.  

 

Laura P. Spinadel (1958 Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-Austrian architect, urban planner, writer, educator, and principal of BUSarchitektur and BOA office for advanced randomness in Vienna. Her approach is holistic, aimed at solving complex problems in an architectural context that combines technology, art, sociology, and psychology, among others. She has made an international name for herself with the works Compact City and Campus WU, both considered pioneers of the holistic architecture ideology.

For the development of the master plan of the WU the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration campus, Laura P. Spinadel took on a total of eight roles, whereby she realized that the most important role in the success story of this project was probably that of the networker: only with the right alliances can the consensus be reached that is necessary to achieve urban miracles. This is also how the idea for the URBAN MENUS** methodology and software was born, an Interactive Society Game to create our cities in 3D using a consensual approach.

** Granting Promotion XL Innovation AWS austrian economy services of the Creative Industries (2017) & Impact Innovation funding Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG (2020) & aws technology internationalization support for URBAN MENUS India market study for a Smart Area Development solution (2021-2023). ERASMUS partnerships VET multisectoral training Making Cities fit for the Green Deal (2022-23) FFG Research Holistic Approach to Database and Impact Analysis for complex systems (2022-2024). ERASMUS partnerships URBAN MENUS Dialogue in a Resilient Future (2023-2026). TECXPORT Circularity Optimizer China (2024-2027).

  

    

   

     

Main awards and milestones:
Calliope Join the Dots: Selected Incredible Woman in Society and Culture - Women's Museum Hittisau 2024
Best Practice for Acceleration of Resilience URBAN MENUS Smart City Dialogue 2023
Expert of the European Union in Urban Planning & Resilience & Digital Participation 2023
Award Top 3 female Innovation Minerva Award 2021
Award Top 3 female entrepreneurs Award 21 at the topic Innovation 2021
Architecture Award City of Vienna 2015
International CICA Award Urban Planning 2015
Award International Architecture Biennial Buenos Aires BA15 2015
Golden Ring of Honor from the Business and Economics University Vienna - 2014

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In love with European programmes. A firm believer in the power of policy and action creation through them, in the capacity of programmes to create bridges between different public and private entities and in the potential for personal and professional growth that working cooperatively between partners from different parts of the world has.

In addition to attracting and managing European programmes and funds, I am dedicated to finding ways to finance the public policies that we want to promote from the council, and to advise the business community of the municipality so that they can take advantage of the great opportunity that European funds represent.

I have also worked on the localisation and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the municipality of Benetússer: carrying out phases 1, 2 and 3 for the Town Council; as well as in other projects such as the organisation of the European Mobility Week, the first steps for the promotion of a CEL, the application and management of the second PERTE call for the digitalisation of the water cycle, among others.

Previously I have been a teacher for over 12 years in an IB school, as well as coordinator of the English and Technology departments.

Education:
- Degree in Sociology.
- Master's Degree in Secondary School Teaching.

Soft skills: risk taker, communicator, open-minded, team player, caring, reflective, problem solver. I enjoy learning new things, contact with people and finding the social side of my daily work. I have always been driven by the idea of creating a better place to live, either through education or the study of society.
 

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I worked until 2005 in Barcelona in the fields of architectural and urban design, and in the architectural publishing field. In 2006 I graduated in Architecture at the Politecnico di Torino and received a study grant in its Architecture and Design Department of Politecnico di Torino. I obtained the Advanced course in “Sustainable Urban Development” at the Venice IUAV University on 2011, and a Ph.D. in Public Policies at the Venice IUAV School of Doctorates on april 2013, with a work on the urban crisis and deindustrialization processes in the city of Detroit. In 2007 I joined Urban Center Metropolitano Torino (today Torino Urban Lab), where since 2014 I am working as Regional Development manager, taking care of the EU programming scientific coordination, international networking and partnerships, and researching on urban policy-making processes in Torino and its metropolitan area. Since 2014 I work as Adjunct professor at Politecnico di Torino (Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning), teaching landscape and urban design. In april 2021 I was appointed Cultural Heritage Expert for UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (today European urban Initiative) programme, with the task to consulting the City of Halandri (Greece) in the development of the Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T project.

As a practitioner, professor and independent researcher, I have developed activities related to the urban policies field, framing the process of change from different angles, constantly committing to engage positions, capacities, operational&relational resources of stakeholders. In this sense urban policies are tools to enhance a more direct involvement of communities in the political process, with the public discourse on space (i.e. use, government, transformation, management of lands and buildings) working as a  translation device, a trading zone between different issues, interests, languages and concerns. Working at the crossfield between practice, public communication, scientific dissemination, helped me understand cultural heritage as a set of tangible and intangible common identity elements, a powerful tool to relate cities to citizens.

 

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Alejandro Quinto, in his role as Head of Innovation at Yeme Tech, embodies the intersection of technology, urban planning, and community well-being. His work involves spearheading projects that leverage digital tools to foster healthier, more connected urban environments.

His multidisciplinary expertise, combining architecture and spatial data science, allows him to innovatively address the complexities of urban spaces. At Yeme Tech, Alejandro has been crucial in developing projects that resonate with his passion for enhancing urban life through technology, such as the Community Data Platform. This platform reflects his commitment to using data to create more inclusive and engaging urban spaces.

His role in the founding team showcases his dedication to shaping the future of urban environments. Under his leadership, Yeme Tech has become a catalyst for digital transformation in cities, emphasising the importance of community data in urban planning and development. His projects are marked by a deep understanding of how technology can be harnessed to improve urban living conditions, emphasising sustainable proximities and social connectivity.

His professional journey also includes speaking engagements at prominent events like the Smart City Expo in Barcelona 2023 and the CARTO conference in London in 2022, as well as his notable contribution to the Biennale of Architecture in the Spanish Pavilion. These roles highlight his commitment to shaping the future of urban living through innovative technological solutions.

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I have been supporting EU local authorities for over 25 years, with a special focus on exchange & learning processes, cooperation and coordination of transnational projects to support socio-economic development, and on the design, implementation and evaluation of strategies, coordinating teams and stakeholders working on different fields, mostly around Cultural & Creative Industries, environmental issues and social and employment linked initiatives, through projects supported by programmes and funds within the EU Cohesion Policy.

I am particularly motivated when it comes to projects that involve local authorities, closer to citizens and able to implement policies and initiatives with shorter term impacts, and had the privilege to work in past URBACT projects (as Lead Expert for “Tropa Verde” TN or Thematic expert for “Creative Spirits” APN), and with URBACT Secretariat in the framework of the “Study on National URBACT POINTS - NUPs” (2021), and thus will be happy to remain as part of the URBACT family.

- Some previous experiences as Senior Consultant (since 1997):

 

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