Barcena-Mapi, Paula Paola

Paola Bárcena is the Director of distritoQRO, the innovation district model of Tecnológico de Monterrey that connects universities, government, industry, and civil society to advance applied research, high-impact entrepreneurship, sustainable urban development, and community well-being. In this role, she leads the creation of a new territorial governance model that fosters multisector collaboration and drives an innovation ecosystem with real impact on the city. She previously served as Coordinator of C+Lab (Laboratory of Cities) for the Central-South Region at the School of Architecture, Art and Design of Tecnológico de Monterrey, where she led strategic urban projects focused on addressing the challenges of urbanization through regenerative approaches that promote healthier, more just, prosperous, and resilient territories. Paola has public sector experience as Deputy Director of Development Control in the Directorate of Urban Development Administration, and as Deputy Director of Urban Planning at the Secretariat of Urban Development and Public Works of the State of Querétaro. In these roles, she contributed to updating regulatory frameworks, advancing territorial planning processes, and guiding strategic urban management. In the private sector, she is co-founder of Taller MX, a creative practice specializing in architecture, urbanism, design, and community participation, where she has carried out consulting projects in urban development, municipal regulation, territorial planning, and public space design. She took part in the Advisory Council of the Q500 Strategy developed by UN-Habitat in Querétaro and served as Project Manager for the Querétaro Creativo Council during the city¿s successful candidacy to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Paola holds a European Master¿s in Urbanism, Strategies, and Design for Cities and Territories from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Tecnológico de Monterrey.