Growing up in Bogotá, I was surrounded by a city set on doing things its own way. What looked, at first, like chaos and improvisation turned out to be character, born from the innovation and persistence of the people who shaped the place over generations. This was my first lesson in thinking about space, leaving me with a question that has stayed with me since: how do cities develop a sense of identity, and how does that identity go on to shape their future?
That question followed me straight into practice. My career in architecture taught me that good city-making rarely comes from one discipline working alone; rather, it depends on different expertise pulling in the same direction. I saw this during my time at RenoBo, Bogotá’s urban renewal and development company, specifically within ZIBo, the strategic transformation of the city’s historic Industrial Zone. Working alongside professionals from diverse backgrounds became a collaborative effort towards revitalising a post-industrial area, rich in architectural heritage but overlooked for years.
Wanting to further build on my professional experience, I completed the MSc in City Design and Social Science at LSE. It showed me how identity and development pull on each other from an international, research-based perspective. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on research with LSE Cities, NextGenC and CoCrea, looking into topics ranging from youth governance and engagement to the impact of AI on culture. At Prior + Partners, I bring this curiosity into the projects I work on, finding the identity in places and building upon collaborative groundwork to help it grow.