Key skills and expertise

Bringing over 56 years of experience, the expert is a leading authority in housing and urban development policy. Key qualifications include extensive research, project implementation, and advisory roles with organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Career highlights include leading the NYU Urban Expansion Program and documenting global urban expansion, resulting in significant publications. Previously held roles include initiating the Human Settlements Planning and Development program at the Asian Institute of Technology. The expert has worked on international initiatives across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, advising on urban planning and climate change adaptation.

Project experience and donor exposure

The expert has collaborated with international donors such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Responsibilities have included project implementation, technical assistance, and conducting housing sector assessments. Thematic areas covered include housing and urban development policy. The scope of these projects was both regional and national, with work conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in East, South, and Southeast Asia.

Sectors and geographic focus

Worked across diverse projects involving sectors such as poverty reduction, migration, urban development, and mapping and cadastre. Roles have included project leader, consultant, and advisor, with responsibilities in policy development, technical assistance, and capacity building. The expert has interdisciplinary knowledge in urban planning and climate change adaptation, with a geographic scope covering Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and the United States. This broad sectoral and geographic experience underpins a comprehensive understanding of global urban and regional development challenges. Extensive geographic experience includes work in countries such as Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Israel, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. This diverse experience has provided deep familiarity with local governance and regional development issues in these areas.

Languages and education

With a background in multilingual environments, the expert is fluent in English, French, Hebrew, and Spanish, utilizing these languages in diverse professional contexts, including international collaborations and multilingual teams across various countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. The expert holds a bachelor's degree in architecture and a doctorate in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley, USA.