Paola Tovar

I am a Mexican architect and urban designer currently based in the Netherlands. I completed my Bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Architecture at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City, with a year of Master’s studies at ENSA Paris-Malaquais in France. Later I obtained an MSc in Architecture and Urban Design at TU Delft. My professional trajectory spans multiple scales and disciplines, ranging from landscape design to architectural and urban projects. A defining chapter in my career was working with a real estate developer, where I contributed to urban strategy and land acquisition processes. In this role, I operated at the intersection of design, policy, and long-term investment thinking. I worked on strategies that integrated accessibility, livability, and future growth, while collaborating closely with leading architects, policymakers, and investors. This experience shaped my interest in frameworks that align spatial quality with economic feasibility and long-term urban transformation. Currently, I work as an Urban Designer at UNStudio. My work focuses on the development of urban guidelines, strategic frameworks, and competition proposals. My core interests center on the future expansion of cities, particularly how growth can be managed in sustainable, inclusive, and economically viable ways. I am motivated by projects that bridge architecture and urbanism with governance and finance, shaping cities not only as physical environments but as resilient and adaptable systems.