Contributors

Belinda Tato is Associate Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and co-founder, together with José Luis Vallejo, of Ecosistema Urbano, a Madrid-based practice specialising in urban social design that integrates landscape architecture, urban planning and social innovation through the design of spaces and processes intended to strengthen citizen self-organisation and community life, with particular attention to the relationship between the built environment, climate change and contemporary forms of dwelling. Among her best-known projects and urban plans, developed across Europe, Latin America, Asia and the United States, is the Eco-boulevard of Ensanche de Vallecas in Madrid — realised with support from the European Union’s LIFE programme and the Madrid Municipal Housing and Land Company — a pioneering urban regeneration project based on creating microclimates through green systems and bioclimatic strategies. Other notable projects include the regeneration of the West Palm Beach waterfront with the Banyan Hub (Florida, USA), the CUENCA RED Public Space Reactivation Plan (Ecuador), urban and territorial planning for Encarnación (Paraguay), and urban regeneration interventions in Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan and Mexico. She has taught at international institutions including Yale University, UCLA and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Her work has received more than 30 international awards, including a nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award (2007) and the Silver Award of the Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction (2009).

Managing Director of Arup Italia, based in Milan, where he graduated in Structural Engineering from the Politecnico. From the outset of his career he has been a leading figure in Arup’s quality of practice. He has served as Director in Amsterdam and in Istanbul. Known for his expertise in integrated design and sustainable urban regeneration, Teora is actively involved in academic training and innovation, serving as a lecturer and member of scientific committees at several Italian universities and master’s programmes, including the Politecnico di Milano. As lecturer and as the party responsible for relations between the IUAV master’s programme and Arup, he has established an internship relationship for the “Architecture CO2=0” Master’s programme.