Architect, Urban Innovator, Civic Activist, Founder & CEO at Ciudad Emergente, MSc City Design & Social Sciences LSE, living in Santiago de Chile.
Visionary leader in social innovation and urban planning, with a solid track record in the development and execution of high-impact projects in Latin America. Founder and Executive Director of Ciudad Emergente, a pioneering organization in the promotion of citizen participation, tactical urbanism and urban sustainability. Co-founder of Plataforma Urbana, Plataforma Arquitectura / ArchDaily, main sites for the dissemination of urban planning and architecture at a global level. Proven experience in the co-creation of innovative solutions awarded with the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honor, the most prestigious recognition given by the United Nations to projects that promote sustainable urbanization in the world.
International Work Experience
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Founder & CEO
Development and implementation of innovative urban projects in more than 10 countries with international recognition by organizations such as UN-Habitat, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Chile.
Collaboration with local governments, international organizations and communities through fundraising and execution of 7.4 million USD in projects that promote urban sustainability and citizen participation.
Direct training to more than 55 thousand people throughout America with innovative tools to transform them into agents of change in their neighborhoods and cities.
Impact on improving the quality of life of 1 million 800 thousand people through active mobility initiatives, social cohesion and public spaces.
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Co Founder & Communications Director
Creation and development of Start-Up technologies applied to the city using Artificial Intelligence methods such as Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning.
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Head of Planning for Earthquake Reconstruction of Pelluhue, Chile.
The position required applying knowledge in sustainable urban development, governance and planning. It also required excellent communications skills and the ability to present and present in front of authorities from central government to local communities.
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Co Founder & Editor
Co-creation of the main architecture and urban planning platforms in Spanish and English, reaching 15.2 million monthly pageviews and positioning the platforms as global references.
Development and execution of the strategic vision of the platforms, defining their identity, generating and curating high-quality content, interviews and featured projects, for a global audience.
Construction of a broad network of contacts in the sector and promotion of discussion on emerging issues in architecture and urban planning.
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Urban Designer
Development of the design of Urban Master Plans in Frankfurt, Germany and Fortaleza, Brazil. The position required the ability to lead teams and organize tasks between different professionals.
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Urban Designer
Responsible for supporting the Masterplan for Farellones, focused on transportation issues, urban growth, preservation of ecological corridors, among others.
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Architect
At Serex-UC, support in the development of the Aguada Oriente - Zanjón de la Aguada Design Master Plan. The position required the ability to work with a wide network of professionals from Hydraulic Engineers to Social Workers.
Responsible for planimetric design, diagrams and visualizations at different scales of analysis, along with supporting the production of presentations and reports to Central Government counterparts.
International Education
MSc City Design & Social Sciences
London School of Economics & Political Sciences, 2009.
Architect
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Maximum Distinction, 2006.
Harvard Executive Education
Certificate Diploma Negotiating Across Differences. Harvard Kennedy School. Luksic Scholars. Jan 2024 - Mar 2024
Local Democracy Academy Certificate
"Transformative local governments: bringing people and politics together. Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy - ICLD. Sweden. 2022.
GPRO Certificate
Green Professional Building Skills Training. Fundamentals of Building Green. U.S. Green Building Council. New York Chapter. USA. 2010.
Articles & Publications
Vergara, J. Equitable Public Spaces in Latin America: A How To. Urbanet.info. (2020)
Vergara, J. Trust practices in times of crises. In Spanish. Ciudad Emergente. (2020)
Vergara, J. et.al. Santiago’s transformation through high density dwellings. Spam ARQ vol.3. (2006)
Contributing author, Uneven Growth. Tactical Urbanism for Expanding Megacities. MoMA (2014)
Contributing author, Nature-Based Play. Arup, Real Play Coalition, Ciudad Emergente, et.al. (2022).
Contributing author, Citizen-Led Urbanism in Latin America: superbook of civic actions for the transformation of cities. Alarcón, et. al. In Spanish. IADB (2020).
Contributing author. Santiago 2010: Un campo de tensiones. In Spanish. ARQ vol.69. (2008)
Honours
Recognitions, Leadership & Scholarships
UN-Habitat, Scroll of Honor Award. “Shared Streets for low carbon cities” (2021).
UNDESA. Incorporation of CEM Social Cohesion Initiatives into the Catalog of Good Practices of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2021).
First place National Competition for Good Neighborhood Practices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning: “Malón Urbano” (2013).
First place Best Citizen Practice Contest: “Malón Urbano”. Santiago 2041 Forum, Chile (2014).
Finalist for the National Innovation Award of Chile (AVONNI) 2014, 2015 and 2016.
World Best Blog in Spanish Language for Plataforma Urbana.cl. Atina Chile (2006).
Mention Award. Plaza Rental, Caracas International Competition. Venezuela (2004).
Member of Advisory Board for “Congreso de Ciudades”. Chilean National Congress, CAF & Polistica (2023).
Member of the Jury of the 4th WeGo Awards Contest, World Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGo) as an expert in Smart Cities and Sustainable Development, organized by World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization, Seoul. Korea (2020).
Member of the Advisory Council of Mobility Experts for the Metropolitan Regional Government of Santiago (2021-present).
President of the Civil Society Council (COSOC) of the Santiago Metropolitan Park. MINVU. (2019 - 2022).
President of the Republic Scholarship. Former Ministry of Planning MIDEPLAN (2008).
Selected among the 100 Young Leaders of Chile by El Sábado Magazine of El Mercurio and the Strategic Leadership Center of the Adolfo Ibáñez University (2006).
Selected Speeches, Talks and Lectures
Lecture Columbia GSAPP Urban Design Through Prototyping in Latin America: Civic Innovation, Tactics, and Strategies (2021).
Sustainable and Participatory Cities: Congreso Jóvenes Futuro. Chilean National Congress. Santiago, Chile (2023).
Greener Urban Futures Dialogue. World Urban Forum 11. Katowice, Poland (2022).
World Habitat Day 2021. (UN-Habitat). Yaounde, Cameroon (2021).
International Mayors Forum. Lilongwe, Malawi. (UNOSD) United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (2019).
TED x UDD: Thinking about a New Future: Marisol García/ Javier Vergara (2013).