Ignacio A Cardona

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Spatial Opportunity Index. The Case of Caracas. Doctoral Dissertation. Harvard Graduate School of Design. 2021

Rio de Janiero Boulevard Proposal. Caracas. Arepa Architecture Ecology and Participation. 2015.

Tectonic v. Stereotomic in Architecture, Student’s Model Studies. Wentworth Institute of Technology. 2019.

Sport Park Mesuca. Petare. Arepa Architecture Ecology and Participation. 2014.

PATH: Participatory Architecture Tool for Humanity, Institute of Public Architecture. New York City, 2018.

Komorebi Pavilion. 2017. Harvard Graduate School of Design and University of Tokyo. Autodesk Build Space Center.

Democratic Indexes. Petare Latam Foundation. Grant by National Endowment for Democracy. 2020-2023.

Thresholds in Architecture. Reseach at Universidad Simón Bolívar. 2007-2012.

Participatory Mapping. Carapé Project. Uruguay. 2026.

Harvard University

2021 Doctor of Design (Phd equivalent)
Thesis: Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments

Universidad Metropolitana

2003 Master of Science in Urban Design (MAUD)
Summa Cum-Laude & Ranked best GPA in the College

Universidad Simón Bolívar

1998 Licensed Architecture (MArch)
Accreditation License No. CIV:118.809

About Ignacio A Cardona

Architect, Urban Designer, Researcher, and Educator | Associate Professor, Wentworth Institute of Technology | Director, Spatial Opportunity Lab

I am an architect and urban designer, Associate Professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Doctor of Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. My work examines how urban design can address spatial inequality and ecological transformation through the articulation of communities, institutions, infrastructures, and living systems. Working across architectural, urban, and territorial scales, my research brings together political ecology, participatory planning, spatial analysis, and design.

Central to my work is Spatial Opportunity, a framework originating in my doctoral research on self-produced environments. Rather than approaching underserved territories primarily through their deficits, Spatial Opportunity identifies relationships, resources, spatial conditions, and local knowledge through which transformation can emerge. My current research extends this thinking through Ecosystemic Democracy and Restorative Community Design, exploring how design can expand participation, strengthen community agency, and restore relationships among people, places, and ecological systems.

I understand urban design not only as the production of spatial form, but also as a mode of inquiry and a means of producing knowledge. My work combines participatory planning and mapping with spatial analysis and emerging technologies—including GIS, artificial intelligence, digital fabrication, and interactive platforms—to translate different forms of knowledge into design possibilities. Projects such as TapiriTech, The Listening Deck, and PATH explore design artifacts as instruments for research, representation, collective learning, and decision-making.

Teaching: I have taught architecture and urban design for more than eighteen years, including appointments at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Universidad Simón Bolívar, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Before migrating from Venezuela, I was a tenured professor at Universidad Simón Bolívar. At Wentworth, I teach urban design studios, research methods, decolonization approaches to urbanism, and Restorative Community Design. I approach students as active agents in the production of knowledge, connecting design research, representation, community engagement, and emerging technologies.

Practice: My scholarship is grounded in extensive design practice. I founded AREPA: Architecture, Ecology, and Participation, where architectural and urban projects in Latin America connected design experimentation with community participation and civic transformation. AREPA evolved into the Spatial Opportunity Lab (SOLAB), creating a bridge between research and practice and extending this work from architectural interventions and public spaces to neighborhoods, cities, and regional territories.

Research: My research advances Spatial Opportunity through political ecology, Ecosystemic Democracy, and Restorative Community Design, investigating how urban and territorial design can articulate social and ecological systems and expand participation in spatial decision-making. Ecosystemic Democracy extends participation beyond human communities by recognizing ecological systems and non-human actors as integral to collective decision-making, while emerging technologies—including GIS, projection mapping, and artificial intelligence—provide new tools for spatial analysis and negotiation. In Uruguay, I coordinate the spatial framework for Proyecto Carapé, where political ecology and land suitability analysis are used to blur conventional boundaries between ecological conservation and economic development.

2026

Research Methods Seminar. History, Theory & Criticism. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2026, Fall. Research Methods. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH9200. Graduate research course organized around the Research Assemblage, an iterative framework through which students investigate an evolving architectural research question using multiple forms of evidence and inquiry. Workshops test textual, visual, ethnographic, observational, quantitative, AI-assisted, and model-based methods.

Urban Design Studio. Ecosystemic Democracy & Indigenous Stewardship. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2026, Fall. Studio 7. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH4000. Urban design research studio using Ecosystemic Democracy to bring Indigenous knowledge, participatory practices, and more-than-human perspectives into climate adaptation and campus planning. Students use TapiriTech—combining physical models, mapping, digital projection, and artificial intelligence—to support participatory spatial dialogue and ecological diplomacy.

Territorial Planning. Spatial Planning Framework, Gran Parque Carapé.

Spatial Planning Framework, Gran Parque Carapé, 2025–2026. Territorial planning framework for approximately 390,000 hectares in Sierra de Carapé, Uruguay, developed with Ambá, Intendencia de Maldonado, and Wyss Foundation. The project integrates ecological and territorial planning across conservation, productive landscapes, settlements, mobility, and development.

ICC Course Proposal. Research Methods.

ICC Course Proposal for Research Methods, Master of Architecture. Curriculum development at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. Concentration Studies Student Learning Outcomes.

Committee Member, SoAD Concentration Studies Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Design Committee. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. SoAD Attendance Policy Committee.

Committee Member, SoAD Attendance Policy Committee. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. SoAD Rally Discovery.

Committee Member, SoAD Rally Discovery. WOW Program (Wentworth Opening Week), Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Academic Advisor. School of Architecture and Design.

Academic Advisor for 72 students. School of Architecture and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Course Coordinator. Research Methods and Studio 4.

Course Coordinator for ARCH9200, Methods of History, Theory & Criticism, and ARCH2500, Studio 4. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. Program Curriculum Committee.

Committee Member, Program Curriculum Committee. School of Architecture and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. Artificial Intelligence Committee.

Committee Member, Artificial Intelligence Committee. School of Architecture and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Advisor. Somerville Community Corporation.

Advisor, Somerville Community Corporation, 2025–2026. Contributed to community-centered planning and development of the 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, with emphasis on equity, affordable housing, economic mobility, and community engagement. Established academic-community collaborations between SCC and Wentworth Institute of Technology, including the RAMP design program.

Co-Director. Community Design and Research Center (CDRC).

Co-Director, Community Design and Research Center (CDRC), with Anne-Catrin Schultz and Robert Trumbour. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Co-leads an interdisciplinary center connecting academic teaching and research with community partners through reciprocal learning, community-engaged design, and applied research.

Technical Report. Spatial Planning Framework, Gran Parque Carapé.

Cardona, I. (PI). Spatial Planning Framework, Gran Parque Carapé. Ambá, Intendencia de Maldonado, and Wyss Foundation. Territorial planning framework for approximately 390,000 hectares in Sierra de Carapé, Uruguay.

Invited Journal Article. The Technique of Inclusion.

Cardona, I. “La técnica de la inclusión (The Technique of Inclusion).” COTA MIL. Venezuelan Foundation of Architecture and Habitat.

Book Chapter. TapiriTech: A Participatory Platform for Teaching Ecosystemic Democracy.

Cardona, I. “TapiriTech: A Participatory Platform for Teaching Ecosystemic Democracy.” In A Focus on Pedagogy: Emerging Theories, Teaching & Technologies, 241–248. AMPS Proceedings Series 47.1, Architecture Media Politics Society.

Book Chapter. Accessibility, Mobility, and Displacement in Caracas’ Self-Produced City.

Cardona, I. “Accesibilidad, movilidad y desplazamiento en la ciudad autoproducida caraqueña.” In Cuestiones en el debate contemporáneo sobre la regeneración de la ciudad y sus barrios: Diálogos Caracas Barcelona, 107–119. Fundació Politècnica de Catalunya, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Life and Work of Tomás José Sanabria.

Architecture Without Urban Design Is Not Architecture: Life and Work of Tomás José Sanabria, 2020–2026. Germán (PI, 40%), Barrios (Co-PI, 40%), and Ignacio Cardona (Co-PI, 20%). Colección Sanabria. Research and scholarly report developed to support the proposed incorporation of the Tomás José Sanabria Collection into the Special Collections of the Frances Loeb Library at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Digital Atlas of Multiculturalism for Madrid.

Digital Atlas of Multiculturalism for Madrid. Miguel López-Meléndez (Co-PI, 60%) and Ignacio Cardona (Co-PI, 40%). Design As COOPeration (D A COOP). Research and urban-strategy proposal developed for Sueña Madrid / Ayuntamiento de Madrid, integrating immigration as a transversal dimension of Madrid’s Municipal Strategic Plan through spatial analysis and a proposed geolocated digital atlas. Proposal under review.

Ecosystemic Democracy and Spatial Framework Planning

Ecosystemic Democracy and Spatial Framework Planning in Carapé, 2025–2026. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 60%), Laura Contreras (Co-PI, 20%), and Rubio (Co-PI, 20%). Ambá, Wyss Foundation, Intendencia de Maldonado, Spatial Opportunity Lab, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Awarded travel expenses: $60,000.

Community Design and Research Center Framework

2024-2026. Community Design and Research Center Framework. Ignacio Cardona (PI), Anne-Catrin Schultz (Co-PI), and Trumbour (Co-PI). Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Award: Undergraduate Student Research Assistant Co-ops.

Envision Resilience: TapiriTech in N’dakinna.

TapiriTech in N’dakinna – Adaptive Design with Indigenous and Non-Human Communities. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 100%). Envision Resilience, USA. Award: $10,000.

Artificial Intelligence and Democracy (AI-D).

Artificial Intelligence and Democracy (AI-D): Integrating AI Personas and Architectural Generative Tools for Socially Responsive Design Education. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 100%). Spark Grant, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Award: $2,000.

Best Paper Award. Environmental Design Research Association.

Best Paper Award. Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA). Research: From Participation to Partnership: Expanding Democratic Community through Ecosystemic Dialogue. EDRA Conference 57. Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Restorative Community Design: Narratives of Justice Across Territories.

“Restorative Community Design: Narratives of Justice Across Territories.” Boston Architectural College. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

History & Theory Seminar. History & Theory of Urbanization. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2026, Summer. Urbanism Concentration I. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3700. Urban history-and-theory course emphasizing the translation of spatial observation into critical argument. Workshops taught students to move beyond description by connecting design moves to spatial effects, human experience, and broader claims through historical and contemporary urban precedents.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2026, Summer. Studio 6. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH3500. Comprehensive architectural design studio centered on Craic Sauce Works, a hybrid food-production and public cultural building in Lowell, Massachusetts. Students investigated controlled-environment agriculture, food production, public programming, adaptive reuse, structure, envelope, environmental systems, consultant workshops, and architectural detailing.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. From Participation to Partnership: Expanding the Democratic Community Through Ecosystemic Dialogues.

“From Participation to Partnership: Expanding the Democratic Community Through Ecosystemic Dialogues.” EDRA57 Conference: Embracing Regional Sustainability: Networks for People and Places. Environmental Design Research Association. University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.

Peer-Reviewed Poster Presentation. Cartography of Collective Trauma.

“Cartography of Collective Trauma.” 37th Annual Boston International Trauma Conference. Trauma Research Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Participatory Design Seminar. Restorative Justice, Participation & Spatial Opportunities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2026, Spring. Restorative Community Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH7750. Graduate seminar examining architecture and design as instruments for addressing spatial inequality through the intersection of Participatory Design, Restorative Justice, and Spatial Opportunity. Students moved from theoretical readings to interview protocols, stakeholder interviews, and public-facing research communication.

Architecture Studio. Concept Development & Building Systems. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2026, Spring. Studio 4. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH2500. Second-year studio structured around the relationship between architectural concepts and the systems through which they become spatial propositions. Students moved from site analysis and precedent research into intensive iterative model-making, conceptual sections, program organization, form, and architectural design.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. The Listening Deck: Ecological Diplomacy and Participatory Planning in Carapé.

“The Listening Deck: Ecological Diplomacy and Participatory Planning in Carapé.” 114th Annual Meeting IN COMMONS. Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Scientific Committee Member. ACSA114 Annual Meeting.

Scientific Committee Member. IN COMMONS: 2026 ACSA114 Annual Meeting. Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Deconstructing Bad Bunny.

Panelist. “Deconstructing Bad Bunny.” Center for Culture and Community, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Guest Lecture. Participatory Mapping — Harvard University.

GIS Analysis of Hazard Vulnerability. Faculty: Connie Chen. Guest lecture on participatory mapping as a method for combining spatial evidence, local knowledge, and collective decision-making in territorial planning. Drawing from the territorial workshops developed for Gran Parque Carapé in Uruguay—including work in Aiguá, Garzón, Pueblo Edén, and Sierra de las Ánimas—the class examined how mapping can operate not simply as representation but as a participatory research and negotiation tool for identifying ecological, productive, cultural, and community priorities.

Lecture by Invitation. Mapping with Communities.

“Mapping with Communities.” Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Community Presentation. Participatory Design.

“Participatory Design.” DESI, Hideo Sasaki Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Harvard GIS Summer Institute.

Harvard GIS Institute. Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

2025

Research Methods Seminar. History, Theory & Criticism. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2025, Fall. Research Methods. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH9200. Graduate research course guiding students from an initial research question to a developed architectural research project through iterative writing, source analysis, and methodological reflection. The course treated AI critically as a research aid, requiring transparency, verification, citation, and reflection on its contribution to the research process.

Urban Design Studio. Ecosystemic Democracy & Indigenous Stewardship. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2025, Fall. Studio 7. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH4000. Research-based urban design studio continuing work at the University of New Hampshire through Indigenous stewardship, climate justice, and Ecosystemic Democracy. Students analyzed Indigenous histories, environmental conditions, urban development, and collective infrastructure before developing ecological systems, urban frameworks, and individual design proposals.

President. Petare Latam Foundation.

President, Petare Latam Foundation, 2020–2025. Leadership of an NGO supporting educational programs and international dialogue across Latin America.

Board Member and President. Somerville Community Corporation.

Board Member, Somerville Community Corporation, 2021–2025. Served as President from 2023 to 2025, contributing to organizational governance and community-centered development in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Invited Journal Article. The Power of Brooms.

Cardona, I., E. Burger, and M. Llorens. “The Power of Brooms.” ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America. David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University.

AI-Driven Visualization in Architectural Education.

AI-Driven Visualization in Architectural Education: Exploring Veras’ Impact on Design Process and Pedagogy in Comprehensive Studio. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 20%), N.J. Unaka, Woodbury, Olsen, and Lerddeekunlam (Co-PIs, 20% each). Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Urban Governance and Spatial Democracy. Latin America.

Educational Programs for Urban Governance and Spatial Democracy, 2020–2025. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 30%), Ocariz (Co-PI, 30%), Lucena (Co-PI, 20%), and faculty and staff (Co-PI, 20%). Petare Latam Foundation. Programs developed across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru with funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Awarded amount: $242,000 per year.

Built Environment Deans Advancing Change Fellowship. Washington, DC.

Built Environment Deans Advancing Change (BEDAC) Fellowship, 2024–2025. Mellon Foundation. Dumbarton Oaks | Trustees for Harvard University. Washington, DC, USA.

The 2025 J.M.K. Innovation Prize. Second-Round Selection.

The 2025 J.M.K. Innovation Prize. Selected for the second round of the competition for TapiriTech: A Participatory Interface for Ecosystemic Democracy. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

National Design Studio Grant. Envision Resilience.

National Design Studio Grant. Envision Resilience. Course: TapiriTech in N’dakinna – Adaptive Design with Indigenous and Non-Human Communities. USA.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. TapiriTech: A Participatory Platform for Teaching Ecosystemic Democracy.

“TapiriTech: A Participatory Platform for Teaching Ecosystemic Democracy.” Pedagogy 2025: Emerging Theories, Teaching & Technologies. Virtual conference connecting the UK, USA, and Belgium.

Keynote Speaker. Restorative [Humans and Non-Humans] Community Design.

“Restorative [Humans and Non-Humans] Community Design.” Encuentro Hábitat y Megatendencias 2025 (Habitat and Megatrends 2025 Meeting). Jornadas de Investigación del CIDI-UCAB. Caracas, Venezuela.

Guest Lecture. La Alegría de las Oportunidades Espaciales — Universidad de Talca.

Urban Design Studio. Faculty: Cristóbal Fuentes. Guest lecture connecting practice, teaching, and research through the framework of Spatial Opportunity. Beginning with self-produced neighborhoods in Latin America, the presentation examined incremental urbanization, the historical evolution of policies toward underserved territories, spatial accessibility, and methods for identifying opportunities within existing urban systems. Projects and research from Caracas, Petare, Somerville, and other contexts illustrated how spatial analysis and community-engaged design can shift attention from territorial deficits toward relationships, resources, and possibilities for transformation.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Ecosystemic Democracy and Participatory Planning in Sierra de Carapé.

“Ecosystemic Democracy and Participatory Planning in Sierra de Carapé.” 2025 Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference. Virginia Tech, USA.

Moderator. ACSA Intersections Research Conference.

Moderator, 2025 ACSA Intersections Research Conference: AI Design Practices. Research session: Environmental Intensities. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

History & Theory Seminar. History & Theory of Urbanization. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2025, Summer. Urbanism Concentration I. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3700. History-and-theory course investigating how social, cultural, political, and ecological forces produce urban form. The course connected readings, lectures, and visual analysis with a student-led Urban Discourse in Action format, treating interpretation and discussion as forms of urban research.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2025, Summer. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Comprehensive design studio centered on the adaptive reuse and expansion of the Lowell Academy building along the Lower Pawtucket Canal in Lowell, Massachusetts. Students developed an Academy of Textiles and Fashion through field observation, historical and environmental analysis, precedent research, prototyping, structure, envelope, environmental systems, and architectural detail.

Community Presentation. Ecosystems that Decide: Political Ecology and Multispecies Diplomacy in Uruguay.

“Ecosistemas que Deciden: Ecología Política y Diplomacia Multiespecie en el Uruguay (Ecosystems that Decide: Political Ecology and Multispecies Diplomacy in Uruguay).” Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE). Rocha, Uruguay.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Ecological Diplomacy and Ecosystemic Democracy.

“Diplomacia Ecológica y Democracia Ecosistémica: Hacia una Planificación Territorial Regenerativa en Uruguay (Ecological Diplomacy and Ecosystemic Democracy: Towards Regenerative Territorial Planning in Uruguay).” V Congreso Latinoamericano de Teoría Social. Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Ecology and Community Across Self-Produced Environments.

“Ecology and Community Across Self-Produced Environments.” Panel: Spatial Justice and Insurgent Practices in Latin America. Latin American Studies Association (LASA). San Francisco, California, USA.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Political Ecology in Latin American Studies.

“Political Ecology in Latin American Studies.” Panel: Asuntos Ambientales Emergentes. Latin American Studies Association (LASA). San Francisco, California, USA.

Urban Design Seminar. Urban Governance & Spatial Democracy. STA School / Latin America Institute.

2025, Spring. Professional Education. Instructor. Course code: STAIAC. Professional education module connecting Spatial Democracy with Restorative Community Design as complementary frameworks for community-based urban transformation. The class examined restorative justice, Spatial Opportunity, and participatory design as methods for addressing spatial inequality while strengthening relationships among communities, institutions, and urban systems.

Urban Design Seminar. Decolonization & Political Ecology. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2025, Spring. Decolonization in Urbanism. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH3800. Research seminar extending work at the University of New Hampshire through political ecology and decolonization. Students investigated Abenaki relationships to land through literature review, ethnographic interviews, GIS and projected mapping, and design documentation, asking how urban design can reconnect people with land and incorporate cultural knowledge into spatial decision-making.

Architecture Studio. Concept Development & Building Systems. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2025, Spring. Studio 4. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH2500. Second-year studio exploring architectural concepts through transitional spaces, precedent analysis, site ecologies, and a performative building project. Students moved from analytical and physical models to concept, form, and design, emphasizing how site conditions and program can become generative architectural ideas.

2024

History & Theory Seminar. Urban History, Participation & Spatial Justice. Tecnológico de Monterrey.

2024, Fall. Urban Theory Seminar. Instructor. Course code: AR4021. Graduate seminar examining contemporary urban theory through the intersection of ecological thinking, spatial representation, democratic participation, and social justice. The course connected historical and theoretical inquiry with analytical and representational tools for understanding urban form as the product of interacting environmental, political, cultural, and social processes.

Research Methods Seminar. History, Theory & Criticism. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2024, Fall. Research Methods. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH9200. Graduate research course combining seminars in contemporary architectural discourse with a progressive research project. Students developed research questions through source selection, annotation, outlining, writing, and critical reflection while experimenting with AI as an explicit research tool requiring transparency, verification, citation, and reflection.

Urban Design Studio. Ecosystemic Democracy & Indigenous Stewardship. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2024, Fall. Studio 7. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH4000. Research-based urban design studio at the University of New Hampshire exploring climate justice, spatial equity, ecological restoration, and Indigenous stewardship. Students researched Indigenous histories and ecological systems and translated them into urban frameworks and design tests through community engagement, collaborative mapping, and ecological urbanism.

Professional Practice. AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

Founder and Principal, AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation, 2008–2024. Architecture and urban design practice working across Latin America on public space, educational facilities, housing, institutional projects, participatory design, and urban interventions.

Art Installation. LUC Tables.

LUC Tables. Design contribution to an installation by artist Jesús Matheus. Seville, Spain.

Media. Spatial Democracy Series.

Cardona, I., and Ricardo Avella. Spatial Democracy Series. Petare Latam Foundation. Six online conversations addressing artificial intelligence, human migration, citizenship and culture, mental health, social protest, and democratic challenges with participants from across Latin America, Spain, and the United States.

Invited Journal Article. A Review of Representing the Barrios.

Cardona, I. “A Review of Representing the Barrios: Culture, Politics, and Urban Policy in Twentieth Century Caracas.” ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America. David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article. What Is the Necessary Question to Achieve More Just Cities?

Cardona, I. “¿Cuál es la Pregunta Necesaria para Lograr Ciudades Más Justas? [What Is the Necessary Question to Achieve Just Cities?].” Anales de Investigación en Arquitectura 14(1). Montevideo, Uruguay.

Book Chapter. Peace Promotion through Restorative Community Design.

Cardona, I., Maria Izquiel, N. Lucena, and M. La Roche. “Peace Promotion through Restorative Community Design: Five Case Studies in Latin America.” In From Conflict to Cooperation: Strategic Approaches to Instrumentalizing Global Peace. IntechOpen.

Academic Coordinator. Spatial Democracy Series.

Online seminar series coordinated with Ricardo Avella. Petare Latam Foundation. Six international conversations addressing artificial intelligence, human migration, citizenship and culture, mental health, social protest, and democratic challenges, with participants from across Latin America and the United States.

Community Presentation. Political Ecology in Community-Based Ecological Regeneration.

“Political Ecology in Community-Based Ecological Regeneration.” Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective. New Hampshire, USA.

History & Theory Seminar. History & Theory of Urbanization. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2024, Summer. Urbanism Concentration I. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3700. History-and-theory course examining the forces that produce and transform cities and their relationship to architectural practice. Students connected readings and lectures with visual urban analysis, using historical and contemporary cases to investigate relationships among urban form, cultural values, social experience, and larger systems of urbanization.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2024, Summer. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Integrated architectural design studio emphasizing the relationship between architectural intentions and systems of construction. Students developed comprehensive proposals through iterative design, representation, and technical integration, connecting site and programmatic thinking with structure, envelope, environmental systems, and architectural detail.

Fundamentals of AI for Designers.

Fundamentals of AI for Designers (AIAU23-AIAU01). The American Institute of Architects. Online training.

Teaching with AI: Practical Approaches to Using Generative AI in Class.

Teaching with AI: Practical Approaches to Using Generative AI in Class. Harvard Business School. Online training.

Lecture by Invitation. Ask Us Anything: Spanish Session for WIT Admitted Students.

Panelist. With Alejandrina Estrada and Carla Santana Restituyo. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Urban Design Seminar. Urban Governance & Spatial Democracy. STA School / Latin America Institute.

2024, Spring. Professional Education. Instructor. Course code: STAIAC. Professional education class examining Latin America as a spatial, ecological, economic, and political condition rather than as a homogeneous geographic category. The class connected dependency theory, inequality, informal urbanization, biodiversity, extractivism, modernization, and pluriversal approaches to development.

Participatory Design Seminar. Self-Produced Urbanization. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2024, Spring. Self-Produced Urbanization. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH7800. Seminar and design workshop examining self-production as a collaborative response to spatial inequality, displacement, and trauma. The course connected participatory design, restorative justice, trauma-informed design, and dialogical communities while asking students to collectively construct and test their own methodology for collaborative design.

Architecture Studio. Concept Development & Building Systems. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2024, Spring. Studio 4. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH2500. Second-year studio exploring performance simultaneously as architectural function and design operation. Students designed a flexible performing arts complex in Fenway–Kenmore through overlapping systems of program, circulation, and construction, connecting architectural ordering systems with public activity, spatial justice, and climate-responsive design.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Brandeis University.

2024, Spring. Architecture, Drawing & Design. Instructor. Course code: FA24a. Architectural design course integrating analog concepts of spatial order with digital modeling and representation. Using the TOP framework—Technique, Order, and Principles of Design—students explored how architectural space emerges through relationships among geometry, proportion, hierarchy, rhythm, materiality, and human experience.

Participant. Architecture Industrial & Professional Advisory Council.

Participant, Spring 2024 Architecture IPAC (Industrial & Professional Advisory Council). Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

2023

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Brandeis University.

2023, Fall. Architecture, Drawing & Design. Instructor. Course code: FA23b. Introductory architectural design studio combining design thinking, representation, and digital modeling through the TOP framework of Technique, Order, and Principles of Design. Students developed architectural ideas through iterative projects using Rhino to test relationships among objects, spatial organization, exhibition, collectivity, and productive space.

History & Theory Seminar. Urban History, Participation & Spatial Justice. Tecnológico de Monterrey.

2023, Fall. Urban Theory Seminar. Instructor. Course code: AR4021. Graduate seminar linking the historical formation of cities with contemporary debates in urban design and planning. The course moved from historical urban formations toward urban ecology, participatory democracy, urban diagrams, reflexive design, phenomenology, spatial justice, and sustainability.

Research Methods Seminar. History, Theory & Criticism. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2023, Fall. Research Methods. Instructor. Course code: ARCH9200. Graduate research course combining seminars on contemporary architectural discourse with a progressive research project. Students developed a question through source selection, annotated bibliography, outlining, discussion, research production, and reflection on impact, while experimenting with multiple modes of criticism and inquiry.

Urban Design Studio. Fragile Ecologies & Spatial Opportunity. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2023, Fall. Studio 7. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH4000. Urbanism studio investigating fragile ecologies and spatial opportunities through collective urban research and design. Students moved from analysis and data translation to speculation, urban systems, frameworks, and individual design tests, working across architecture, landscape, urban design, and planning.

Committee Member. Scholarship and Faculty Development.

Committee Member, Scholarship and Faculty Development, 2021–2023. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. Master of Architecture Admissions.

Committee Member, Master of Architecture Admissions, 2021–2023. School of Architecture and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Committee Member. Urban Design Curriculum and Certification.

Committee Member, Master of Science in Urban Design Curriculum and Urban Design Certification Committee, 2021–2023. School of Architecture and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, with Robert Cowherd.

Committee Member. Environmental Change and Social Equity.

Committee Member, Environmental Change and Social Equity (EASE), with Antonio Furgiuele, Sam Maddox, N.J. Unaka, Ryan Thomas, and Shirine Boulos Anderson. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

ICC Course Proposal. Certificate in Community-Engaged Design & Social Practice.

ICC Course Proposal for the Certificate in Community-Engaged Design & Social Practice, with Jason Rebillot, Mark Mulligan, and Danyson Tavares. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Invited Journal Article. Spatial Democracy.

Cardona, I. “Spatial Democracy: Overlapping Urban Agglomeration, Environmental Adaptability, and Social Inclusion Through Design.” WAr: Wentworth Architecture Review 12: 11–12.

Curator of Exhibition. D4L: Fragile Ecologies.

Curator of D4L: Fragile Ecologies. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Selected for Boston Design Week 2023. Exhibition developed with faculty, students, production teams, institutional collaborators, and community partners connecting design, ecology, and the urban conditions of Caracas.

UX/UI Experience in Participatory Design and the Metaverse.

UX/UI Experience in Participatory Design and the Metaverse, 2021–2023. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 100%). AREPA Architecture, Ecology and Participation. Independent research exploring digital technologies and UX/UI experiences in participatory design as preparation for a training program in Facebook Technologies. Menlo Park, California, USA.

Advocacy Planning, Ethics and the Unfinished Business of Planning.

Seminar. Advocacy Planning, Ethics and the Unfinished Business of Planning. Roxbury Community College and Consulting Planners of Massachusetts. Roxbury, Massachusetts, USA.

Keynote Speaker. Tearing Down the Walls.

“Tearing Down the Walls.” La Noche de las Ideas: ¿+cercas? (The Night of Ideas: +fence?). Alliance Française + LABO. Caracas, Venezuela.

Panelist. Bridging Borders, Culture & Stories.

Panelist. Bridging Borders, Culture & Stories: A Panel Featuring Latine Faculty, Staff & Students on Their Journeys. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Spatial Opportunities and Research Methods in Architecture.

“Spatial Opportunities and Research Methods in Architecture.” ARCH4700 Research Methods, Master of Architecture. Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2023, Summer. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Integrated architectural design studio emphasizing the relationship between architectural intentions and systems of construction. Students developed comprehensive proposals through iterative design, representation, and technical integration, connecting site and programmatic thinking with structure, envelope, environmental systems, and architectural detail.

Curator of Exhibition. Spatial Democracy.

Curator of Spatial Democracy: Overlapping Urban Agglomeration, Environmental Adaptability, and Social Inclusion Through Design. Exhibition of ARCH4000 Studio 7 projects examining the impact of the Green Line in Somerville through proposals for East Somerville, Gilman Square, and Magoun Square. Presented at the Annual Meeting of Somerville Community Corporation.

Urban Design Seminar. Urban Governance & Spatial Democracy. STA School / Latin America Institute.

2023, Spring. Professional Education. Instructor. Course code: STAIAC. Professional education module connecting democratic governance, participatory processes, urban management, Spatial Opportunity, and project implementation. The teaching framed urban governance as an intersection of institutional capacity, participation, spatial justice, and design.

History & Theory Seminar. Spatial Democracy, Urban Theory & Climate Justice. Brandeis University.

2023, Spring. Architecture & the City. Instructor. Course code: FA187a. Seminar examining major theories of architecture and urban development through authors, historical contexts, and case studies. The course moved from foundational questions about architecture, space, and the city toward contemporary challenges framed through Spatial Democracy, including Spatial Opportunity, the Just City, climate justice, and digital transformation.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Brandeis University.

2023, Spring. Architecture, Drawing & Design. Instructor. Course code: FA24a. Introductory architectural design course using Rhino as a tool for spatial inquiry rather than as an end in itself. Organized through the TOP framework—Technique, Order, and Principles of Design—the course introduced architectural representation, spatial organization, proportion, hierarchy, rhythm, and iterative design thinking.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Another Path towards Restorative Community Design.

“Another Path towards Restorative Community Design.” 111th Annual Meeting IN COMMONS. Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Spatial Opportunities and Mobility in Self-Produced Environments.

“Spatial Opportunities and Mobility in Self-Produced Environments.” AICAlab, Master in Urban and Territorial Development. Collaboration among institutions in Barcelona and Caracas.

2022

Urban Design Studio. Spatial Democracy & The Ecologies. Boston Architectural College.

2022, Fall. Sitework Studio. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARC330. Architecture and landscape studio examining the social and environmental impacts of the Green Line Extension in Somerville through the framework of Spatial Democracy. Students worked across metropolitan, station-area, and intervention scales, addressing gentrification, sustainable mobility, ecological performance, social inclusion, urban governance, and green infrastructure.

History & Theory Seminar. Urban History, Participation & Spatial Justice. Tecnológico de Monterrey.

2022, Fall. Urban Theory Seminar. Instructor. Course code: AR4021. Graduate course connecting the history of urban development with contemporary theories and methods for reading and transforming cities. Students examined urban ecology, participatory democracy, urban plans and projects, reflexive design, phenomenology, spatial justice, sustainability, and instruments of urban intervention.

Guest Lecture. Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments. Louisiana State University.

Research Methods. Faculty: Miguel López-Meléndez. Guest lecture in a research methods course using Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments as a case study for constructing architectural and urban research. The session presented the dissertation’s combination of a geolocated demographic survey, quantitative Spatial Opportunity Index, and qualitative analysis of planning documents, demonstrating how different forms of evidence can be articulated to investigate self-production, spatial inequality, accessibility, and urban transformation.

Residential Project. Desenne Marulanda House.

Desenne Marulanda House. Built 4,500-sq-ft residential project for Paul Desenne. Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.

Landscape Project. Pilares Park.

Pilares Park Landscape Project, 2021–2022. Landscape design for a 38,000-sq-ft public park for Alcaldía de Benito Juárez, Mexico City, Mexico. Unbuilt project.

Invited Journal Article. The Myth of Informal Settlements.

Cardona, I. “The Myth of Informal Settlements.” WAr: Wentworth Architecture Review 11: 56–57.

Peer-Reviewed Proceeding. Architectural Episodes.

Cardona, I. “Architectural Episodes.” In New Dialogues in Architectural Education and Practices, 147–161. Istanbul Kültür University. Full paper published.

Book Chapter. From Imperfect Decentralization to Absolute Centralization.

Cardona, I., L. Schloeter, and C. Urdaneta Troconis. “De la Descentralización Imperfecta a la Centralización Absoluta.” In Gobernanza Metropolitana en América Latina: Una Visión General de las Experiencias Contemporáneas Desde un Punto de Vista Comparativo, 115–149. ECLAC/IPEA.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2022, Summer. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Integrated architectural design studio focused on a community-based makerspace in Lowell, Massachusetts. Students progressed through site documentation, design charrettes, precedent systems analysis, and detailed prototypes integrating structure, envelope, daylighting, and passive and active environmental controls.

Keynote Speaker. Community Commerce, Informality, and Self-Production in Latin America.

“Community Commerce, Informality, and Self-Production in Latin America.” Informal Vendors: Transforming Popular Economy. Institute for Social Economy (IPES). Bogotá, Colombia.

Keynote Speaker. Sustainable Management and Urban Infrastructure.

“Sustainable Management and Urban Infrastructure.” International Congress of Sport and Public Sports Management. Lima Municipality. Lima, Peru.

Lecture by Invitation. Spatial Justice: Opening Criteria.

“Spatial Justice: Opening Criteria.” Challenges and Urgency in Spatial Justice. NGO Justicia Espacial. San José, Costa Rica.

Participatory Design Seminar. Restorative Justice, Participation & Spatial Opportunities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2022, Spring. Restorative Community Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH9700. Graduate seminar introducing Restorative Community Design as a framework connecting restorative justice, the Right to the City, trauma-informed design, participatory practices, and spatial justice. Students investigated how structural and spatial inequalities can be translated into actionable design questions and strategies for expanding spatial opportunities.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2022, Spring. Graduate Foundations Studio 2. Instructor. Course code: ARCH7500. Graduate foundations studio investigating music as an impulse for generating architectural sequences, spatial relationships, and built form. Students designed a Music Camp in Cummington, Massachusetts, connecting landscape strategy, community gathering, performance spaces, circulation, light, ecology, structure, and enclosure.

Participatory Design Seminar. Restorative Justice, Participation & Spatial Opportunities. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2022, Spring. Restorative Community Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH9700. Joint online seminar examining how architecture, planning, and urban design can address spatial inequality through restorative justice, participatory design, and the Right to the City. Through readings, discussions, case studies, and reflective workshops, students explored relationships among social trauma, community agency, spatial experience, accessibility, and Spatial Opportunity.

2021

History & Theory Seminar. Urban History, Participation & Spatial Justice. Tecnológico de Monterrey.

2021, Fall. Urban Theory Seminar. Instructor. Course code: AR4021. Graduate seminar examining the historical and theoretical development of cities as layered cultural, social, ecological, and spatial constructions. The course combined urban history with contemporary theories of urban ecology, participatory democracy, environmental psychology, urban form, spatial justice, and design representation.

Research Methods Seminar. History, Theory & Criticism. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2021, Fall. Research Methods. Instructor. Course code: ARCH9200. Graduate research methods course structured around a progressive sequence connecting close reading with architectural research and argumentation. Students worked through annotation, sketch writing, visual analysis, source evaluation, and literature review development to construct research questions and situate them within existing architectural discourse.

Urban Design Studio. Spatial Democracy & The Ecologies. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2021, Fall. Studio 7. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: ARCH4000. Urban design studio focused on Quebrada Tocome in Caracas, Venezuela, using the watershed as a framework for investigating relationships among ecology, infrastructure, urban density, and spatial inequality. Students explored landscape infrastructure, renewable energy, public space, mobility, and connections with the self-produced urban environments of Petare.

Urban Design Seminar. Urban Theory, Mapping & Spatial Analysis. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2021, Fall. Urbanism Concentration II. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3750. Urbanism course combining theoretical readings with comparative case studies and spatial methods for interpreting contemporary cities. Students moved between urban discourse and empirical investigation through mapping, GIS, workshops, and spatial analysis, examining relationships among urban form, infrastructure, social conditions, environmental processes, and patterns of inequality.

Media. Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments.

Cardona, I. Video presentation of the Doctor of Design dissertation Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments. Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Invited Journal Article. Transportation Itself Does Not Build Urban Structures.

Cardona, I. “Transportation Itself Does Not Build Urban Structures.” ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America. David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University.

Book Chapter. Venezuela: From Imperfect Decentralization to Absolute Centralization.

Cardona, I., L. Schloeter, and C. Urdaneta Troconis. “Venezuela: Da Descentralização Imperfeita à Centralização Absoluta.” In Governança Metropolitana na América Latina, 121–157. IPEA/CEPAL.

Dissertation. Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments.

Doctor of Design Dissertation. Spatial Opportunities for Self-Produced Environments. Harvard Graduate School of Design. 539 pages. ProQuest ETD Administrative System, Thesis No. 28540790.

Curti Fellowship. Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Curti Fellowship, 2017–2021. Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Transportation Itself Does Not Build Urban Structures.

Panelist. “Transportation Itself Does Not Build Urban Structures.” Transportation in Latin America. Harvard Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Architecture and Restorative Community Design.

“Architecture and Restorative Community Design.” Cities, Commerce, Entertainment. University of Toronto. Toronto, Canada.

Lecture by Invitation. Architecture in Self-Produced Urbanization.

“Architecture in Self-Produced Urbanization.” Architecture Studio 2. Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Guest Lecture. Transdisciplinary Design and Self-Production. Brown University.

Urban Theory and Practice Seminar. Faculty: Julia Smachylo. Invited class examining self-produced urban environments as systems shaped by alternative forms of organization, informal economies, incremental construction, and community participation. Drawing on research in Caracas and the development of Sports Park Mesuca, the lecture connected participatory design, institutional collaboration, and transdisciplinary practice with questions of public space, spatial inequality, community health, and global health. The session used the evolution of the Mesuca project to demonstrate how architectural and urban interventions can emerge from long-term engagement among residents, public institutions, designers, and researchers.

Lecture by Invitation. Architecture Towards Self-Produced Urbanization.

“Architecture Towards Self-Produced Urbanization.” Urban Theory and Practice Seminar. Brown University. Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Guest Lecture. Transdisciplinary Design and Self-Production. Universidad Metropolitana

Urban Design Studies. Faculty: Graciela Gabaldón. Guest lecture examining self-produced urban environments through informality, incremental construction, participatory design, and transdisciplinary practice. Drawing on research in Petare and the development of Sports Park Mesuca, the class explored how community participation, institutional collaboration, and design can address spatial inequality, limited access to public facilities, and the social conditions of self-produced settlements. The lecture also distinguished multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and intradisciplinary approaches while connecting community-based design with resilience and global health.

Lecture by Invitation. Urban Design Towards Self-Produced Urbanization.

“Urban Design Towards Self-Produced Urbanization.” Teorías del Desarrollo Urbano. Universidad Metropolitana. Caracas, Venezuela.

Lecture by Invitation. Spatial Opportunities and Urban Development.

“Spatial Opportunities and Urban Development.” Miércoles Amarillos Seminar. Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2021, Spring. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Integrated architectural design studio centered on an Instructables-inspired community makerspace in Lowell, Massachusetts. Students investigated how spaces for making, learning, production, and exchange could contribute to the evolving identity of a former industrial city while integrating structure, envelope, environmental systems, material assemblies, and construction.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Path towards Restorative Community Design.

“Path towards Restorative Community Design.” Architectural Episodes 02: New Dialogues in Architectural Education and Practice. 2nd AE International Symposium. Kultur University. Istanbul, Turkey.

2020

Research Methods Seminar. History, Theory & Criticism. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2020, Fall. Research Methods. Instructor. Course code: ARCH9200. Research methods course introducing graduate architecture students to methods of inquiry in architectural history, theory, and criticism. Students developed research questions and arguments through reading, annotation, source evaluation, writing, visual analysis, and the construction of a literature review.

Urban Design Seminar. Urban Theory, Mapping & Spatial Analysis. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2020, Fall. Urbanism Concentration II. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3750. Urbanism course introducing methods for understanding cities as interconnected spatial, social, infrastructural, ecological, and political systems. Through readings, case studies, mapping, spatial analysis, and discussion, students examined how urban conditions can be documented and interpreted across scales.

Ciudades Comunes and Covid-19.

Ciudades Comunes and Covid-19. Remote seminar organized by Ciudades Comunes NGO. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Co-Coordinator. Venezuelan Country Plan in Infrastructure and Urban Development.

Co-Coordinator, Venezuelan Country Plan in Infrastructure and Urban Development, with Francisco Paul, 2018–2020. Coordinated work focused on infrastructure and urban development.

Founder and President. Harvard Venezuelan Students Association.

Founder and President, Harvard Venezuelan Students Association (HVSA), 2019–2020. Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Technical Report. Manual on Participatory Activities in Urban Design.

Cardona, I., Juan Vicente Mijares, and Carlos Ocariz. Manual Sobre Actividades Participativas en el Diseño de Intervenciones Urbanas. Laboratorio de Ciudades. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington.

Book Chapter. A Community’s Struggle: Developing a Global Cultural Approach.

Cardona, I., Maria Izquiel, Manuel Llorens, Isabella Picon, Francisco Sanchez, and Martin La Roche. “A Community’s Struggle: Developing a Global Cultural Approach.” In Towards a Global and Cultural Psychotherapy: Theoretical Foundations and Clinical Implications, 165–189. Cognella Academic Publishing.

Urbanism and Spatial Democracy (Venezuelan Country Plan).

Urbanism and Spatial Democracy, Venezuelan Country Plan, 2019–2020. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 40%), Paty (Co-PI, 30%), and Paul (Co-PI, 30%). Research included coordination of a multimedia digital platform for the National Coordination of the Urban Plan, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Lecture by Invitation. On Spatial Opportunities.

“On Spatial Opportunities.” Urban Design Studio, School of Architecture and Environment, University of Oregon. Oregon, USA.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Metropolitan Governance and Democracy: The Case of Venezuela.

“Metropolitan Governance and Democracy: The Case of Venezuela.” 4th International Colloquium on Metropolitan Governance. Universidad de Guadalajara. Jalisco, Mexico.

Community Presentation. Spatial Opportunities and Economic Development.

“Spatial Opportunities and Economic Development.” Venezuelan Seminar, co-speaker Edward Glaeser. Harvard Venezuelan Students Association. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Community Presentation. Spatial Opportunities and Urban Development.

“Spatial Opportunities and Urban Development.” MIT Alumni Association, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Spatial Opportunities and Urban Development.

“Spatial Opportunities and Urban Development.” Urban Design Studio, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Architecture Studio. Concept Development & Building Systems. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2020, Summer. Studio 4. Instructor. Course code: ARCH2500. Intermediate architectural design studio using a sequence of increasingly complex problems to connect conceptual development with site, program, spatial organization, materiality, and building systems. Students developed analytical and representational methods through precedent research, drawing, diagramming, and physical and digital modeling.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Towards Architecture as Mediation.

“Towards Architecture as Mediation.” Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab. Florida International University. Florida, USA.

Guest Lecture. Self-Production as a Form of Development. Framingham State University

Invited lecture examining self-production as an alternative model of urban development emerging through incremental growth, collaborative agreements, knowledge transfer, and community participation rather than predetermined planning. Drawing on Latin American self-produced environments and projects in Petare, the lecture argued that these territories should be understood not as disordered urbanization but as systems governed by alternative forms of organization. It also examined the central challenge of connecting the productive capacity of self-built environments with broader urban resources, infrastructures, employment, and environmental systems.

Community Presentation. Urban Equitability During Pandemic Times.

“Urban Equitability During Pandemic Times.” Quarantined City: Four Latin American Perspectives. OPUS. Medellín, Colombia.

History & Theory Studio. Modern Utopias, Architecture & Urban Theory. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2020, Spring. Modern Utopias. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3850. Architecture and urbanism seminar examining modern utopian thought and its relationship to the production of cities, architecture, and society. Through readings, discussions, case studies, and critical analysis, students investigated how idealized social, political, technological, and spatial models have shaped architectural discourse and urban transformation.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2020, Spring. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Comprehensive architectural studio emphasizing the integration of design intent with structure, building envelope, environmental systems, materials, codes, and technical development. Students advanced projects from contextual and programmatic research through schematic design and increasingly detailed architectural resolution, treating building systems as interconnected components of the design process.

Community Presentation. The City Facing COVID-19.

“The City Facing COVID-19.” Encuentros Live Seminar. NGO Siudad and Aprendo y Emprendo. Caracas, Venezuela.

Keynote Speaker. Self-Production as a Form of Development.

“Self-Production as a Form of Development.” Arts & Ideas Lectures and Workshops. Framingham State University. Framingham, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Impactful Design and Self-Production.

“Impactful Design and Self-Production.” Informal Means: Alternative Design Practices in Latin America. Loeb Fellowship Program and Latin GSD, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Blurring the Gap Between the Ideal and the Feasible.

“Blurring the Gap Between the Ideal and the Feasible.” Landscape as Urbanism in the Americas. Office for Urbanization, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

2019

Architecture Studio. Site, Landscape & Environmental Design. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2019, Fall. Studio 3. Instructor. Course code: ARCH2000. Second-year design studio developing foundational relationships among architectural form, site, landscape, environmental conditions, and human experience. Through progressively structured design exercises, students used observation, precedent analysis, drawing, diagramming, physical modeling, and iterative design development to translate contextual conditions into architectural propositions.

Professional Consultancy. Inter-American Development Bank.

Consultant, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), 2018–2019. Professional consultancy related to urban development and participatory approaches.

Professional Consultancy. United Nations ECLAC.

Consultant, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Professional consultancy in 2019.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Wentworth Institute of Technology / Everfi. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Media. Urban Grids: Handbook for Regular City Design.

Research Collaborator. Busquets, J. Urban Grids: Handbook for Regular City Design. ORO Editions. Research contribution to the publication.

Peer-Reviewed Proceeding. Situated Knowledge: Participatory Design Workshop.

Crespo, Y., Ignacio Cardona, and M. Smith. “Situated Knowledge: Participatory Design Workshop (PDW) Positioned at the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association in Lowell, Massachusetts.” ACSA Teachers Conference. Antwerp, Belgium. Abstract published.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article. Contested Informality.

Cardona, I. “Contested Informality.” territor[e]alities 29(2): 31–35. Atlantis Polis Editorial.

Book Chapter. From a Junkyard to a Peace Promotion Sports Park.

Izquiel, M., Ignacio Cardona, Manuel Llorens, and Martin La Roche. “From a Junkyard to a Peace Promotion Sports Park: A Transdisciplinary Approach.” In The Psychology of Peace Promotion: Global Perspectives on Personal Peace, Children and Adolescents, and Social Justice, 203–218. Springer.

Exhibition by Invitation. Gendering Urban Development.

“Gendering Urban Development.” Exhibition of the Urban Planning and Design studio taught with Chelina Odbert at Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Metropolitan Governance and Democracy: The Case of Venezuela.

“Metropolitan Governance and Democracy: The Case of Venezuela.” Metropolitan Urban Governance in Latin America Seminar. ECLAC and IPEA. Brasília, Brazil.

Architecture Studio. Concept Development & Building Systems. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2019, Summer. Studio 4. Instructor. Course code: ARCH2500. Architectural design studio culminating in a Community Music School and performance spaces at 103 Ward Street in Boston. Preliminary exercises introduced relationships among spatial experience, site, performance, and construction, while the final project asked students to synthesize contextual inquiry, program, design concept, architectural development, and representation.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Situated Knowledge: Participatory Design Workshop.

“Situated Knowledge: Participatory Design Workshop (PDW) Positioned at the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association in Lowell, Massachusetts.” With Yazmín Crespo and Mike Smith. ACSA Teachers Conference. Antwerp, Belgium.

Community Presentation. Spatial Opportunities, Tactical Urbanism, and Self-Produced Environments.

“Spatial Opportunities, Tactical Urbanism, and Self-Produced Environments.” CCScity Community Seminars. Fundación Espacio and U.S. Embassy in Caracas. Caracas, Venezuela.

Urban Design Studio. Spatial Justice, Pattern Language & Equitable City-Making. Harvard Graduate School of Design.

2019, Spring. Urban Design Studio. Instructor. Course code: STU 1507. Multidisciplinary option studio investigating socio-spatial justice through the development of a pattern language for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Building on Christopher Alexander’s pattern languages and the Just City Lab’s Just City Index, students mapped patterns of injustice, engaged stakeholders through fieldwork and co-creation, and translated values of urban justice into spatial and policy patterns.

Architecture & Construction Studio. Integrated Systems, Ecologies & Communities. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2019, Spring. Studio 6. Instructor. Course code: ARCH3500. Integrated architectural design studio focused on a Culinary Arts School in Boston’s historic South End. Conceived as a “Culinary Block,” the project combined education, community outreach, nutrition, and connections to the neighborhood’s restaurant culture. Students moved from urban and site analysis to the integration of structure, environmental systems, enclosure, circulation, accessibility, and material detailing.

Participatory Design Studio. Participatory Design & Community Engagement. Harvard Graduate School of Design.

2019, J-Term. Participatory Design Workshop. Instructor. Course code: J-Term. Intensive workshop introducing participatory design as a method for incorporating community knowledge, priorities, and lived experience into architectural and urban design processes. Through lectures, readings, collaborative exercises, and design activities, students explored techniques for stakeholder engagement, collective decision-making, and the translation of qualitative information into spatial strategies.

2018

Urban Design Studio. Gender-Inclusive Urban Planning & Participatory Design. Harvard Graduate School of Design.

2018, Fall. Urban Design Studio. Instructor. Course code: STU 1503. Urban design option studio examining how gender inequality is embedded in planning processes, public space, mobility, housing, and the everyday experience of cities. Working in Argentina, students investigated gender through urban analysis, participatory processes, and design, developing proposals that connected spatial intervention with the lived experiences and priorities of women and other historically underrepresented groups.

Architecture Studio. Site, Landscape & Environmental Design. Wentworth Institute of Technology.

2018, Fall. Studio 3. Instructor. Course code: ARCH2000. Second-year architecture studio using Boston’s Chestnut Hill Reservoir as a site for investigating relationships among architecture, landscape, ecology, and urban context. Students developed an Environmental Education Center and Visitor Center through site observation, analytical mapping, sectional studies, precedent analysis, and iterative physical and digital modeling. The studio emphasized “site intelligence” as a design method.

Invited Journal Article. Does (In)formal City Exist?

Cardona, I. “Does (In)formal City Exist?” In Confronting Informality: Preserving Communities and Creating Public Goods in Informal Settlements, 51–52. Delft University of Technology.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article. Komorebi Structure.

Ying, X., J. Sato, H. Zhang, M. Mulligan, and Ignacio Cardona. “Komorebi Structure: Skin Aggregation with Nodal Adjustment for Immersive Naturalness.” In IASS 2018 Boston Symposium: Structure as Architecture and Art, 1–8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Exhibition by Invitation. PATH: Participatory Architecture Tool for Humanity.

“PATH: Participatory Architecture Tool for Humanity.” Exhibition of work developed during the 2018 Summer Fellowship at the Institute for Public Architecture. New York City, USA.

PATH: Participatory Architecture Tool for Humanity.

UX/UI Experience in Participatory Design and Urban Design. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 50%), Paty (Co-PI, 25%), and Lassiter (Co-PI, 25%). Institute for Public Architecture, Queens, New York. Awarded amount: $5,000 from IPA and private funding. The research supported development of PATH: Participatory Architecture Tool for Humanity.

Komorebi Pavilion. Harvard GSD and University of Tokyo.

Design-Project Komorebi Pavilion, 2017–2018. Mark Mulligan (Harvard GSD), Jun Sato (University of Tokyo), and Ignacio Cardona (Teaching Fellow, Harvard GSD). Harvard Graduate School of Design and University of Tokyo. Awarded amount: $11,462 for the GSD portion of the grant, financing fabrication of the pavilion exhibited at the Autodesk Design Center in Boston and Harvard GSD in Cambridge.

Summer Residency Fellowship. Institute for Public Architecture.

Summer Residency Fellowship. Institute for Public Architecture (IPA). New York, New York, USA.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. The Structure of Komorebi Pavilion.

“The Structure of Komorebi Pavilion: Skin Aggregation Composed with Nodal Adjustment to Generate Immersive Naturalness.” Co-authored with Ying Xu, Jun Sato, Hanlu Zhang, and Mark Mulligan. IASS Symposium 2018: Creativity in Structural Design. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Does (In)formal City Exist?

“Does (In)formal City Exist?” Confronting Informality: Preserving Communities and Creating Public Goods in Informal Settlements. Delft University of Technology. Delft, Netherlands.

Lecture by Invitation. Smart Cities and Participatory Design.

“Smart Cities and Participatory Design.” UI/UX Seminars. Universidad Panamericana. Mexico City, Mexico.

Keynote Speaker. The City in the Future of Venezuela’s Crisis.

“The City in the Future of Venezuela’s Crisis.” Plan País Seminar. Boston University Students Caucus and NGO Plan País. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Community Presentation. From Junkyard to Peace Promotion Project.

“From Junkyard to Peace Promotion Project: A Transdisciplinary Approach.” Global Health Seminars. Harvard Global Health Institute, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

2017

Research and Design Project. Komorebi Pavilion.

Komorebi Pavilion. Collaborative design-research project with Mark Mulligan, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Jun Sato, University of Tokyo. The pavilion explored computational design, structural systems, fabrication, and material assembly.

Learning Design.

Learning Design Seminar. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Digital City Design Workshop.

Digital City Design Workshop. Professor: Carlo Ratti. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Organizer. ACT! Research Group.

Organizer, ACT! Research Group, 2016–2017. Loeb Fellowship, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Newspaper Article. Sobre Caracas City 450.

Cardona, I. “Sobre Caracas City 450.” Prodavinci.

Invited Journal Article. #latiurbe: Espacio Público en 140.

Cardona, I. “#latiurbe. Espacio Público en 140.” Entrerayas: La Revista de Arquitectura, No. 82.

Book Chapter. H2OSTEL.

Cardona, I. “H2OSTEL.” In Senseable City Guide to Amsterdam 2, 115–132. MIT Senseable City Lab, MIT School of Architecture and Planning.

Credential Competition. MIT Senseable City Laboratory.

Credential Competition. Digital Design Workshop, Senseable City Laboratory. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Travel Grant Prize. Dangerous Landscapes Seminar.

Travel Grant Prize. Dangerous Landscapes Seminar. Volkswagen Foundation. Project: Re-Thinking Environmental Risk in Low-Income Communities. University of Hanover. Hanover, Germany.

EB-1 Visa for Extraordinary Ability. United States.

EB-1 Visa for Extraordinary Ability. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USA.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Urban Links: Imagining a Sustainable City Model for Latin American Cities.

“Urban Links: Imagining a Sustainable City Model for Latin American Cities.” Dangerous Landscapes: Re-Thinking Environmental Risks in Low-Income Communities. Herrenhausen Conference. Hanover, Germany.

Guest Lecture. Self-Produced Communities and Density. University of Toronto.

Landscape, and Urban Design Studio. Faculty: Alfredo Landeate Guest lecture examining density and self-produced communities through the case of Caracas. The class questioned conventional definitions of slums and informality and explored self-produced neighborhoods as complex urban systems shaped by density, citizenship, social capital, violence, and community organization. Drawing from research and participatory projects in Petare, the lecture connected spatial analysis with tactical and strategic urban interventions intended to strengthen public space and connections across fragmented territories.

Lecture by Invitation. Density, Architecture, and Informal Processes.

“Density, Architecture, and Informal Processes.” Urban Design Seminars. John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, University of Toronto. Toronto, Canada.

Community Presentation. Violence and Urban Fragmentation.

“Violence and Urban Fragmentation.” Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Seminars. New York, USA.

Community Presentation. Modern Architecture and Design in Venezuela.

“Modern Architecture and Design in Venezuela.” Helicoid Exhibition Talks Series, with Celeste Olalquiaga, Monica Ponce de Leon, and Barry Bergdoll. American Institute of Architects. New York City, USA.

Community Presentation. Tearing Down the Walls: Imagining a Sustainable City Model for the Global South.

“Tearing Down the Walls: Imagining a Sustainable City Model for the Global South.” DDes 30th Anniversary Program. Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Taste Comes from Variety.

“Taste Comes from Variety.” Show & Tell Conferences. Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. Caracas, Venezuela.

Lecture by Invitation. Kanaimö Aboriginal School.

“Kanaimö Aboriginal School.” Participation, Materials, Design, and Culture talk series, with Oberdan De Lucia. Universidad Central de Venezuela and Goethe-Institut. Caracas, Venezuela.

Keynote Speaker. The City at Ground Level: Rhizomes, Boundaries and Borders.

“The City at Ground Level: Rhizomes, Boundaries and Borders.” Theory of Architecture Seminars, Master of Architecture. Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Re-Thinking No Man’s Landscapes.

“Re-Thinking No Man’s Landscapes.” Walls or Bridges? Restructuring for a Better Tomorrow Symposium. Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

2016

Urban Integration Project. Simón Díaz Cultural Center.

Urban Integration of Simón Díaz Cultural Center to a Self-Produced Neighborhood, 2011–2016. Urban design project integrating the cultural center with its surrounding self-produced settlement. Approximately 120,000 sq ft. Ministerio de Turismo, Tratevenca, and Equus EPS. Falcón, Venezuela. Unbuilt project. Recognized by the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation and the National Competition of Architecture and Urban Design for the Urban Integration of Centro Simón Díaz.

History and Theory of Urban Interventions.

History and Theory of Urban Interventions. Professor: Neil Brenner. Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Peer-Reviewed Proceeding. Petare Process: Fragmented City and Participatory Design.

Cardona, I. “Petare Process: Fragmented City and Participatory Design.” Participation & Social Aspects of Design & Enabling Framework. UN-Habitat. Nairobi, Kenya. Abstract published.

Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation. First Finalist.

First Finalist, 3rd Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation. Project: Simón Díaz Center: Cultural, Recreational, Educational, and Empowering Network Centers for Vulnerable and Low-Income People. Guangzhou, China.

Public Art Competition. First Finalist. Harvard University.

First Finalist, Public Art Competition Cycle. Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Arthur Lehman Fund Fellowship. Harvard GSD.

Arthur Lehman Fund Fellowship. Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Best Paper Award. Sustainable Futures Conference.

Best Paper Award. Sustainable Futures Conference. UN-Habitat. Nairobi, Kenya.

Community Presentation. The Polis: The City as a Political and Technical Urban Phenomenon.

“The Polis: The City as a Political and Technical Urban Phenomenon.” Conference Series of the Venezuela National Congress. National Urban Technical Commission, National Assembly of Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Petare Processes: Urban Fragmentation and Participatory Design.

“Petare Processes: Urban Fragmentation and Participatory Design.” Sustainable Futures Conference 2016, UN-Habitat. Nairobi, Kenya.

Lecture by Invitation. Caracas: Violence and Urban Fragmentation.

“Caracas: Violence and Urban Fragmentation.” Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.

Lecture by Invitation. Violence, Gender, and Urban Fragmentation.

“Violence, Gender, and Urban Fragmentation.” Spring 2016 Lecture Series, Latin GSD. Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

2015

Workshop. ACT! Urban Interventions and Politics.

ACT! Urban Interventions and Politics. Professors: Alejandro Echeverri and Sergio Fajardo. Harvard Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Board Member. Editorial Council on City.

Board Member, Editorial Council on City, 2013–2015. El Nacional. Caracas, Venezuela.

Coordinator. Participatory Design Workshops.

Coordinator, Participatory Design Workshops, 2008–2015. AREPA Architecture Ecología y Paisaje, Venezuela. Led 18 pro bono pedagogical workshops over seven years to design public infrastructure in underserved environments across four Venezuelan cities.

Media. Urban Ecology.

Cardona, I., director. Urban Ecology. Audiovisual production by AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

Media. Mesuca: Integral Urban Integration.

Cardona, I., director. Mesuca: Integral Urban Integration. Audiovisual production by AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

Media. Participatory Design Workshops on Integral Urban Architecture.

Cardona, I., director. Participatory Design Workshops on Integral Urban Architecture. Audiovisual production by AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

Student Forum Conference Fellowship. Harvard GSD.

Student Forum Conference Fellowship. Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2015, Summer. Basic Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Newspaper Article. La Idea Que Me Queda.

Cardona, I. “La Idea Que Me Queda.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Spatial Opportunity. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2015, Spring. Design VI. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA2313. Urban design and landscape studio examining self-produced neighborhoods as dynamic systems shaped by incremental construction, community practices, environmental conditions, infrastructure, and unequal access to urban resources. Students developed strategic interventions across architectural and territorial scales, emphasizing public space, connectivity, landscape, and the identification of existing spatial opportunities.

Keynote Speaker. Urban Design and Social Inclusion.

“Urban Design and Social Inclusion.” International Architecture Festival (IAC). Maracaibo, Venezuela.

2014

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities & Amenities. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2014, Fall. Design I. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1312. Architectural design studio using public facilities and collective amenities as a framework for examining relationships among domestic and civic life, shared space, density, urban context, and inequality. Students explored how architecture can negotiate individual and collective needs while responding to broader questions of access and the spatial organization of the city.

Urban Desing and Architecture Project. Mesuca Educational Service Project.

Mesuca Educational Service Project, 2008–2014. Educational project of approximately 150,000 sq ft for Alcaldía de Sucre and Fundación Polar. Petare, Venezuela.

Waterfront Urban Design Project. Chichiriviche.

Waterfront Chichiriviche. Public-space and waterfront project of approximately 50,000 sq ft for Ministerio de Turismo, Tratevenca, and Equus EPS. Falcón, Venezuela. Unbuilt project.

Thesis Advisor. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

Thesis Advisor for 48 students, 2013–2014. School of Architecture and Design, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Invited Journal Article. Rhythm 3: The Park Takes the City / The City Opens to the Park.

Cardona, I., and Fran Paul. “Rhythm 3: The Park Takes the City / The City Opens to the Park, Considering a Model of Sustainability for Caracas.” WAr: Wentworth Architecture Review 4: 52–53.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. 2014 Urban Landscape at Universidad Simón Bolívar.

“2014 Urban Landscape at Universidad Simón Bolívar.” International Exhibition of Landscape Projects from Schools of Architecture and Landscape, European Biennial of Landscape Architecture. Advisors: Ignacio Cardona, Maria Mercedes Hernández, Roberto Puchetti, and Carlos Olaizola. Barcelona, Spain.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. Sport-Park Mesuca.

“Sport-Park Mesuca.” XI National Architecture Biennale Exhibition. Venezuelan Institute of Architects. The project received First Prize. Caracas, Venezuela.

Urban Infrastructure and the Psychosocial Community Perspective (Petare).

Urban Infrastructure and the Psychosocial Community Perspective in Self-Produced Neighborhoods: The Case of Petare, 2012–2014. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 60%), Maria Izquiel (Co-PI, 30%), and Manuel Llorens (Co-PI, 30%). AREPA Architecture, Ecology and Participation. Caracas, Venezuela. Outcomes included the participatory design and construction of Mesuca Sports Park and the 2012 International Award for Urban Development and Social Inclusion from CAF.

First Prize. XI National Architecture Award.

First Prize, XI National Architecture Award. Category: Project under Construction. Venezuelan Institute of Architects. Caracas, Venezuela.

Best Professor Award. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

Best Professor Award, 2009–2014. Students’ Caucus, Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB). Caracas, Venezuela. The award was subsequently renamed the Professor Ignacio Award in recognition of Ignacio Cardona’s repeated receipt of the distinction during his service as a professor at the institution.

Newspaper Article. Esta Conexión No Será Construida.

Cardona, I. “Esta Conexión No Será Construida.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Keynote Speaker. Linking Architecture and Creative Research.

“Linking Architecture and Creative Research.” Trienal de Investigación FAU. Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Community Presentation. The City Being Built.

“The City Being Built.” Emergent Practice Talk Series. Fundación Centro de Arte Los Galpones. Caracas, Venezuela.

Community Presentation. Walking Petare.

“Walking Petare.” De Civitate Dei, Miguel von Dangel Talk Series. Fundación José Ángel Lamas and Alcaldía de Sucre. Caracas, Venezuela.

Participatory Design Studio. Indigenous Participatory Design & Ecological School Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2014, Spring. Vertical Studio. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA3312. Intensive study-abroad and participatory design workshop in Türi Daya, a remote Amerindian community in the Venezuelan Amazon. The workshop developed an ecological school system through direct dialogue, observation, collective design exercises, and engagement with local environmental and cultural conditions, positioning community knowledge as a primary source of architectural decision-making.

2013

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Spatial Inequality. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2013, Fall. Vertical Studio. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA3312. Vertical urban design and landscape studio focused on self-produced environments as territories of incremental development, adaptation, community organization, and spatial inequality. Students developed multiscalar proposals connecting local architectural interventions with public space, landscape, mobility, infrastructure, and broader systems of urban integration.

Workplace Project. Torre Uno.

Office Project Torre Uno. Built 5,000-sq-ft workplace project for Huawei Technologies. Caracas, Venezuela.

Seminar. Latin American Forum on Noteworthy Instruments for Urban Intervention.

Latin American Forum on Noteworthy Instruments for Urban Intervention. Lincoln Institute. Quito, Ecuador.

Engagement Scholarship Coordinator. Designing for Change.

Engagement Scholarship Coordinator, 2008–2013. Designing for Change: Community Orchestration Spaces (Diseñando el Cambio: Espacios Comunitarios de Orquestación – ECO). Universidad Simón Bolívar, RedUC NGO, and Alcaldía de Sucre. Caracas, Venezuela.

Media. Tear Down the Walls: Imagining a Sustainable City Model.

Cardona, I., director. Tear Down the Walls: Imagining a Sustainable City Model. Audiovisual production by AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

Media. Habilitación Física de Barrios.

Cardona, I., C. Machado, and M. Hernández. Habilitación Física de Barrios. Academic blog developed at Universidad Simón Bolívar.

Book Chapter. Simón Díaz Center, Petare, and San Agustín.

Cardona, I. “Concurso Público Nacional de Anteproyecto para la Integración Urbana del Centro Simón Díaz (Primer Premio) + Petare como Proyecto + Complejo Deportivo San Agustín.” In Idea, Proyecto, Obra. Fundación Espacio.

Travel Fellowship. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Travel Fellowship. Latin American Noteworthy Instruments for Urban Intervention. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Quito, Ecuador.

Newspaper Article. Buscando Una Buena Noticia.

Cardona, I. “Buscando Una Buena Noticia.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Thoughts on How to Intervene the Informal City.

“Thoughts on How to Intervene the Informal City.” Art and Society Forum. Universidad Rafael Urdaneta. Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Tear Down the Walls: Imagining a Sustainable City Model.

“Tear Down the Walls: Imagining a Sustainable City Model.” Designing for Life Seminar, Second Edition. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Urban Design Studio. Urban Design & The Ecologies. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2013, Spring. Design VII. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA2314. Advanced urban and landscape studio examining Caracas’s quebradas as ecological corridors and potential infrastructures for climate adaptation. Students investigated hydrology, topography, settlement, public space, environmental risk, and connectivity, developing strategies in which ecological regeneration and urban transformation operated as a single design problem.

2012

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2012, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Public Space Project. Park Palo Verde.

Park Palo Verde. Public-space project of approximately 7,500 sq ft for Alcaldía de Sucre. Caracas, Venezuela. Built project.

Workshop. Teaching Portfolio.

Teaching Portfolio Workshop. Decanato de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Neighborhood Technical Representative. Chacao Historic Center.

Neighborhood Technical Representative of the Chacao Historic Center, 2011–2012. Oficina Local de Planeamiento Urbano, Alcaldía de Chacao. Caracas, Venezuela.

Technical Report. Research for Sports Park Mesuca.

Cardona, I. Research for Sports Park Mesuca. Research associated with the Urban Development and Social Inclusion international competition of Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF).

Book Chapter. Proyecto Urbano / Imaginario Urbano.

Cardona, I. “Proyecto Urbano / Imaginario Urbano.” In Intervenciones de espacios públicos en barrios del municipio Sucre. Fundación Espacio.

Exhibition by Invitation. Three Architectural Bridging Projects.

“Three Architectural Bridging Projects.” Idea, Project, and Construction, exhibition of recent architecture in Venezuela. Fundación Espacio. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. 2012 Urban Landscape at Universidad Simón Bolívar.

“2012 Urban Landscape at Universidad Simón Bolívar.” International Exhibition of Landscape Projects from Schools of Architecture and Landscape, European Biennial of Landscape Architecture. Exhibition of student work developed with the Universidad Simón Bolívar landscape faculty. Barcelona, Spain.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. Best Proposals Exhibition — La Carlota.

“Best Proposals Exhibition.” International Competition La Carlota. Universidad Central de Venezuela and Alcaldía Metropolitana. Caracas, Venezuela.

Thresholds in Architecture. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

Thresholds in Architecture, 2007–2012. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 100%). Research and Development Deanship (DID), Universidad Simón Bolívar. Awarded amount: $5,500 per year.

Honorable Mention. La Carlota Green Park International Competition.

Honorable Mention. International Competition for La Carlota Green Park. Alcaldía Metropolitana de Caracas. First Prize: Manuel Delgado. Caracas, Venezuela.

International Award. Urban Development and Social Inclusion.

International Award for Urban Development and Social Inclusion. Andean Development Corporation (CAF). Caracas, Venezuela.

Lecture by Invitation. Approaches for Interventions in the Informal City.

“Approaches for Interventions in the Informal City.” Technical Meetings Series. Venezuelan National Academy of Engineering and Habitat. Caracas, Venezuela.

Community Presentation. How to Draw the City?

“How to Draw the City?” School of Urbanism Yearly Seminar. Department of Urban Studies, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Spatial Opportunity. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2012, Summer. Design VII. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA2314. Advanced studio exploring the spatial logics of self-produced environments and their relationships with formal urban systems. Through mapping, site analysis, landscape strategies, and architectural interventions, students investigated how existing patterns of adaptation and community organization could become starting points for improving public space, infrastructure, accessibility, and urban integration.

Lecture by Invitation. Talking About Space: Basic Notions of Ecology.

“Talking About Space: Basic Notions of Ecology.” Design, Construction and Architecture 2012 Seminar. OSS Conferencias. Caracas, Venezuela.

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Spatial Opportunity. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2012, Spring. Vertical Studio. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA3313. Vertical design studio examining self-produced urban environments through relationships among architecture, public space, landscape, infrastructure, and community practices. Students worked across scales to identify existing spatial resources and develop interventions capable of strengthening connectivity, shared amenities, and relationships between self-produced neighborhoods and the larger city.

2011

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2011, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Sports and Public Space Project. Sports Park Mesuca.

Sports Park Mesuca. Built public-space and sports project of approximately 92,000 sq ft for Alcaldía de Sucre. Caracas, Venezuela. The project received the 2011 National Architecture Award and the 2012 International Award for Urban Development and Social Inclusion from the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

Urban Design Project. Delicias Self-Produced Neighborhood.

Urban Revitalization of Delicias Self-Produced Neighborhood. Urban intervention in an informal settlement encompassing approximately 65,000 sq ft. Ministerio de Infraestructura and Petróleos de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Seminar. Architecture and Place.

AL – Architecture and Place (Arquitectura y Lugar). Panelists: Camilo Avellaneda, Sebastián Adamo, Martín Gualano, and Mauricio Rocha. Fundación Espacio and Centro Cultural Trasnocho. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Proceeding. Sports Infrastructure as an Articulator of Urban and Social Dynamics.

Cardona, I. “La Infraestructura Deportiva y Recreativa Como Articulador de Dinámicas Urbanas y Sociales: La Experiencia del Complejo Deportivo San Agustín.” Spanish Association of Professionals in the Swimming Pool Sector (ASOFAP). Barcelona, Spain. Abstract published.

Book Chapter. Selected Essays from Entorno Urbano II.

Cardona, I. Collection of essays including “¿Buenas Intenciones?”, “Muralla en Elorza,” “Tertulia en Santiago,” “Óleo del Ávila Desde un Rancho,” “Comuna Nueva,” “Ciudad y Estupidez Humana,” “Nawgor,” and “Los Políticos Hacen Ciudad.” In Entorno Urbano II, 2001–2007. Universidad Metropolitana.

Exhibition by Invitation. Art and City in El Playón.

“Art and City in El Playón.” XX Iberoamerican Art Festival (FIA), in collaboration with artist Alí González. Hotel Tamanaco. Caracas, Venezuela.

Exhibition by Invitation. Three Proposals by AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

“Three Proposals by AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.” Idea, Project, and Construction. Fundación Espacio and Centro de Arte Los Galpones. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. The Architecture of AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.

“The Architecture of AREPA Architecture Ecology and Participation.” Five Decades of Venezuelan Architecture. Venezuelan Society of Architecture, Pan American Federation of Associations of Architects, International Union of Architects, Universidad Simón Bolívar, and Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

First Prize. Mesuca Sports Park.

First Prize. Competition of Architecture and Urban Design for Mesuca Sports Park. Alcaldía de Sucre. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Architecture: Future Visions.

“Architecture: Future Visions.” Symposium for the 40th Anniversary of Universidad Simón Bolívar. School of Architecture. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Sports Architecture as an Articulator of Urban and Social Dynamics.

“Sports Architecture as an Articulator of Urban and Social Dynamics.” 3rd Iberoamerican Congress of Sports and Leisure Facilities (CIDYR). Barcelona, Spain.

Urban Design Studio. Urban Design & The Ecologies. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2011, Summer. Design VII. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA2314. Advanced studio examining the quebradas of Caracas as interconnected ecological, hydrological, and urban systems. Students developed landscape and urban design strategies that responded to flooding and environmental degradation while exploring opportunities for public space, movement, ecological restoration, and connections among surrounding communities.

Lecture by Invitation. Reflections from the Academy.

Panelist. “Reflections from the Academy.” Conversation on architectural education and practice. Fundación Espacio and Cultura Chacao. Caracas, Venezuela.

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities, Amenities & The Building. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2011, Spring. Design III. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1314. Architectural design studio focused on public facilities and collective amenities as a framework for developing relationships among program, spatial organization, circulation, structure, enclosure, environmental conditions, and human experience. Students developed projects through analytical drawing, physical modeling, and iterative design.

2010

Urban Design Seminar. Political Ecology, Territory & Landscape Urbanism. Universidad Metropolitana.

2010, Fall. Ecology, Territory & Landscape. Instructor. Course code: MDUA3. Graduate urban design course examining the city as part of broader ecological and territorial systems. Students investigated relationships among landscape, settlement, infrastructure, environmental processes, productive territories, and patterns of urbanization, using multiscalar analysis to understand how ecological thinking can inform urban design strategies and reshape conventional boundaries between city and landscape.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2010, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Workshop. Learning Design.

Learning Design Workshop. Decanato de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Book Chapter. Mirando a Miranda a Tres Tiempos.

Cardona, I. “Mirando a Miranda a Tres Tiempos: Ideas para el Rescate y la Revitalización de la Carretera Panamericana.” In Los Teques, de la Ciudad Universitaria a la Capital del Cambio, 256–269. Gobernación de Miranda.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. 2010 Urban Landscape at Universidad Simón Bolívar.

“2010 Urban Landscape at Universidad Simón Bolívar.” International Exhibition of Landscape Projects from Schools of Architecture and Landscape, European Biennial of Landscape Architecture. Advisors: Ignacio Cardona, Maria Mercedes Hernández, Roberto Puchetti, and Carlos Olaizola. Barcelona, Spain.

Film Producer. Tramas de Una Ciudad: Caracas.

Producer of the documentary film Tramas de Una Ciudad: Caracas (Urban Networks: Caracas). Produced with Roberto Puchetti, Enrique Fernández-Shaw, Edmundo Ramos, and Jorge Domínguez. AC Red Urbana Ciudadana, Miope Films, and Alcaldía de Chacao. Caracas, Venezuela.

Improving Cities in Self-Produced Environments (Caracas).

Improving Cities in Self-Produced Environments, 2008–2010. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 60%) with Fernández-Shaw, Herrera-Luque, Manrique, Negrón, Provenzali, Fernández, Ciordia, and Díaz. Red Urbana Ciudadana (RedUC). Awarded amount: $5,000 from Chacao Municipality. The grant supported the La Montañita public-space project in Petare and production of the documentary Tramas de Una Ciudad: Caracas (Urban Networks: Caracas).

First Prize. Centro Simón Díaz Urban Integration.

First Prize. National Competition of Architecture and Urban Design for the Urban Integration of Centro Simón Díaz. Alcaldía Metropolitana de Caracas. Caracas, Venezuela.

Lecture by Invitation. Engagement Scholarship at Simón Bolívar University.

“Engagement Scholarship at Simón Bolívar University.” University Forum for the Habitat of Communities. Fundación Vivienda Popular. Caracas, Venezuela.

Lecture by Invitation. Design Interventions in Public Space.

“Design Interventions in Public Space.” Fundación Espacio and Cultura Chacao. Caracas, Venezuela.

Urban Design Studio. Urban Design & The Ecologies. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2010, Summer. Design VII. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA2314. Advanced studio examining Caracas’s quebradas through ecological regeneration, climate resilience, landscape systems, and urban design. Students interpreted waterways not simply as drainage infrastructure or risk zones but as potential spatial armatures capable of connecting ecological processes, public spaces, neighborhoods, and metropolitan systems.

Lecture by Invitation. Architecture for Peace and Coexistence.

“Architecture for Peace and Coexistence: Recreational Park of La Montañita de Petare Barrio.” VI Conference of Social Reflection of the Church for Peace Promotion. Fundación Centro Gumilla and Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. Caracas, Venezuela.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2010, Spring. Basic Design. Instructor & Academic Coordinator. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Community Presentation. El Pasado Film.

“El Pasado Film.” Third Cinema Forum: Latin American Cities Through Cinema, with Daniel Gómez. Fundación Espacio and Centro Cultural Trasnocho. Caracas, Venezuela.

2009

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2009, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Workplace Program. National Plan for Bank Branches.

National Plan for Bank Branches, 2002–2009. Design and implementation of 52 Banco de Venezuela / Grupo Santander projects across Venezuela, totaling approximately 104,000 sq ft. Built projects.

First World Forum for Architecture and Design.

First World Forum for Architecture and Design (1er Foro Mundial de Arquitectura y Diseño). Professor: Alejandro Restrepo. MASISA and Colegio de Arquitectos de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Exhibition by Invitation. Caracas: Formal City vs. Alternate City.

“Caracas: Formal City vs. Alternate City: Proposal Around the Water Systems.” The City and the Water. GLocalstudio, Goethe-Institut Venezuela, Universidad Central de Venezuela, and international cultural partners. Caracas, Venezuela.

First Prize. Pan-American Highway Landscape Revitalization.

First Prize. National Competition for the Revitalization of the Pan-American Highway Landscape. Gobernación del Estado Miranda. Los Teques, Venezuela.

Community Presentation. Architectural Learning and Community Engagement.

“Architectural Learning and Community Engagement.” Recycling the City Talk Series. School of Architecture, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Comprehensive Education and Community Engagement.

“Comprehensive Education and Community Engagement.” XXIII Latin American Congress of Schools and Colleges of Architecture (CLEFA). Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Pan-American Highway Landscape Revitalization.

“Winning Proposal for the National Competition for the Revitalization of the Pan-American Highway Landscape.” First Urban Seminar of the City of Los Teques. Gobernación de Miranda. Los Teques, Venezuela.

Urban Design Studio. Urban Design & The Ecologies. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2009, Summer. Design VII. Instructor. Course code: DA2314. Advanced studio exploring quebradas in Caracas as a framework for linking ecological restoration, landscape, infrastructure, and urban design. Students investigated how water systems could become organizing elements for public space, mobility, environmental resilience, and connections between fragmented urban territories.

Urban Design Studio. Urban Design & The Ecologies. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2009, Spring. Design VII. Instructor. Course code: DA2314. Advanced urban design and landscape studio investigating Caracas’s quebradas as ecological and spatial infrastructures. Students examined relationships among waterways, settlement, topography, risk, vegetation, public space, and mobility, developing design strategies that combined ecological regeneration with climate resilience and new forms of urban connectivity.

2008

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2008, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Housing Project. Tusmare Sustainable Housing.

Tusmare Sustainable Housing Project. Approximately 24,000-sq-ft housing project for Promotora Chamberí 2000. Tusmare, Venezuela. Unbuilt project. First Prize in the Chamberí Housing Competition.

Healthcare Facility. Department of Imagenology.

Department of Imagenology. Built healthcare facility of approximately 5,000 sq ft for Centro de Salud Santa Inés. Caracas, Venezuela.

The Slum Tells Its History.

The Slum Tells Its History. Speakers: Pedro Trigo, Teolinda Bolívar, and Alejandro Moreno. Fundación para la Cultura Urbana. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Proceeding. The Gap Between Imaginary and the Image of the City.

Cardona, I. “The Gap Between Imaginary and the Image of the City.” IX Conference of Urban Imaginary. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Abstract published.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article. Three Knots in Urban Project Management in Contexts of Poverty.

Cardona, I. “Tres nudos en la gestión de proyectos urbanos en contextos de pobreza.” Elementos: Ciencia y Cultura 15(69): 55–61.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article. Transdisciplinarity in Urban Project Management in Contexts of Poverty.

Cardona, I. “Lo transdisciplinario en la gestión de proyectos urbanos en contextos de pobreza.” Elementos: Ciencia y Cultura 15(70): 37–41.

First Prize. Tusmare Residential Park.

First Prize. Tusmare Residential Park. Co-author: Juan Pablo Gómez. Promotora Chamberí 2000. Caracas, Venezuela.

Lecture by Invitation. The Space of the Place.

“The Space of the Place.” Five Spaces, talk series on emergent architecture. Fundación Espacio and Cultura Chacao. Caracas, Venezuela.

Moderator. Cultural Interventions in the Renovation of Cities.

Moderator of the main session “Cultural Interventions in the Renovation of Cities.” Cultura Chacao, Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), and Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). Caracas, Venezuela.

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities, Amenities & The Building. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2008, Summer. Design II. Instructor. Course code: DA1313. Architectural design studio focused on public facilities and collective amenities as a framework for developing relationships among program, spatial organization, circulation, structure, enclosure, environmental conditions, and human experience. Students developed projects through analytical drawing, physical modeling, and iterative design.

Lecture by Invitation. Urban Design, Architecture, and Social Sustainability.

“Urban Design, Architecture, and Social Sustainability.” 2nd Interamerican Architecture Conferences. Fundarquitec and FUDESEV. Mérida, Venezuela.

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities, Amenities & The Building. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2008, Spring. Design III. Instructor. Course code: DA1314. Architectural design studio focused on public facilities and collective amenities as a framework for developing relationships among program, spatial organization, circulation, structure, enclosure, environmental conditions, and human experience. Students developed projects through analytical drawing, physical modeling, and iterative design.

2007

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2007, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Retail Program. National Plan for Pharmacy Branches.

National Plan for Pharmacy Branches, 2006–2007. Design and implementation of eight Farmahorro projects across Venezuela, totaling approximately 16,000 sq ft. Built projects.

Healthcare Building. Molecular Biology Building.

Molecular Biology Building. Approximately 2,000-sq-ft facility for the Amazon Center for Research on Tropical Diseases (CAICET). Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. Unbuilt project.

City, Public Space and Urban Culture.

Ciudad, Espacio Público y Cultura Urbana. Speaker: Tulio Hernández. Fundación para la Cultura Urbana. Caracas, Venezuela.

Newspaper Article. Comuna Nueva.

Cardona, I. “Comuna Nueva.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Spatial Opportunity. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2007, Summer. Design VII. Instructor. Course code: DA2314. Advanced studio examining Caracas through the intersection of self-produced urbanism, spatial opportunity, architectural intervention, and urban systems. Students analyzed existing spatial conditions and developed proposals responding to relationships among public space, mobility, landscape, density, and collective programs.

Newspaper Article. Nawgor.

Cardona, I. “Nawgor.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. The Gap Between the City and the Image of the City.

“The Gap Between the City and the Image of the City.” IX Conference of Urban Imaginary. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Urban Design Studio. Public Facilities, Ecologies & The Building. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2007, Spring. Design IV. Instructor. Course code: DA2311. Urban design studio using Caracas as a laboratory for understanding relationships among architecture, infrastructure, public space, landscape, mobility, density, ecology, and urban form. Students moved between territorial analysis and architectural intervention, examining how design decisions at the local scale participate in larger patterns of metropolitan transformation.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. Project Management in Underprivileged Environments.

“Project Management in Underprivileged Environments.” International Seminar Culture and Design. Universidad de Las Américas. Puebla, Mexico.

2006

Urban Design Seminar. Environmental Management, Territory & Urban Design. Universidad Metropolitana.

2006, Fall. Environmental Management. Instructor. Course code: MDUA2. Graduate course examining environmental management as an integral component of urban design and planning. Students considered how ecological systems, development pressures, infrastructure, regulation, landscape, and collective decision-making interact in the transformation of urban territories, positioning environmental questions as spatial and political design problems rather than solely technical concerns.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2006, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Educational Building. Technical School in Canaima National Park.

Technical School. Educational building of approximately 23,000 sq ft for Ministerio de Turismo, developed for an Amerindian community in Canaima National Park. Bolívar, Venezuela.

Organizer. REthink Exhibition.

Organizer, REthink: Re-Thinking an Unused Object. Exhibition Room, Main Library, Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Proceeding. Influence of the Territorial Traces in Architectural Design.

“Influence of the Territorial Traces in Architectural Design.” XV Quito Architecture Biennial. Ecuador College of Architects. Poster published.

Peer-Reviewed Exhibition. Influence of the Territorial Traces in Architectural Design.

Poster: “Influence of the Territorial Traces in Architectural Design.” XV Quito Architecture Biennial. Ecuador College of Architects. Quito, Ecuador.

Newspaper Article. Muralla en Elorza.

Cardona, I. “Muralla en Elorza.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Urban Integration. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2006, Summer. Design VII. Instructor. Course code: DA2314. Advanced design studio investigating self-produced neighborhoods through the overlapping scales of architecture, public space, landscape, infrastructure, and urban systems. Rather than approaching these environments solely through deficiency, the studio examined existing forms of organization and adaptation as evidence from which strategic architectural and urban interventions could emerge.

Newspaper Article. Ciudad y Estupidez Humana.

Cardona, I. “Ciudad y Estupidez Humana.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities, Ecologies & The Building. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2006, Spring. Design V. Instructor. Course code: DA2312. Architectural design studio examining public facilities as interfaces between institutional programs, ecological conditions, and their urban surroundings. Students worked across building and site scales, developing proposals that connected public access, collective activity, circulation, environmental conditions, and architectural form.

Newspaper Article. Los Políticos Hacen Ciudad.

Cardona, I. “Los Políticos Hacen Ciudad.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Community Presentation. Urban Built Environment, Architecture, and People.

“Urban Built Environment, Architecture, and People.” National Training Program for Underserved Communities. Ministerio de Turismo. Río Caribe, Venezuela.

2005

Urban Design Studio. Ecological Urbanism & Landscape Systems. Universidad Metropolitana.

2005, Fall. Ecology Urban Design Studio. Instructor. Course code: MDUT1. Graduate studio examining urban design through ecological relationships across multiple scales. Students investigated the interaction of natural and constructed systems and developed spatial strategies integrating landscape, infrastructure, public space, mobility, environmental performance, and patterns of development into coherent urban frameworks.

Architecture Studio. Foundational Design & Spatial Systems. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2005, Fall. Basic Design. Instructor. Course code: DA1311. Foundational design studio introducing architecture through spatial order, proportion, scale, sequence, structure, enclosure, light, material, and human occupation. Sequential exercises emphasized observation, abstraction, drawing, physical modeling, and iterative transformation, establishing design as a process of inquiry and progressive spatial resolution.

Exhibition by Invitation. Formalization of the Interstitial System of the City.

“Formalization of the Interstitial System of the City: The Case of Chacaíto.” Right to the City in Latin American Cities. ETSAB, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spanish Development Cooperation Center, and RedIALA. Barcelona, Spain.

Formalizing Urban Interstitial Systems (Venezuela).

Formalizing Urban Interstitial Systems, 2003–2005. Ignacio Cardona (PI, 100%). National Program of Science and Technology, FONACIT. Awarded amount: $6,000 per year.

First Prize. Bancrecer Banking Architecture Competition.

First Prize. Banking Architecture Competition. Project: Bancrecer Banking in Underprivileged Environments. Grupo Santander. Caracas, Venezuela.

Newspaper Article. Tertulia en Santiago.

Cardona, I. “Tertulia en Santiago.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities & Amenities. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2005, Summer. Design I. Instructor. Course code: DA1312. Architectural design studio focused on public facilities as spaces of collective encounter. Students developed fundamental relationships among architectural concept, program, circulation, structure, enclosure, and human experience while considering how institutional and community-oriented buildings participate in the construction of public life.

Lecture by Invitation. Interstitial Systems: The Negative Map of the City.

“Interstitial Systems: The Negative Map of the City.” City Outside the Map Seminar. AECID and Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Peer-Reviewed Presentation. The Formalization of Cities’ Interstitial Systems.

“The Formalization of Cities’ Interstitial Systems.” IV Iberoamerican Congress of Parks and Public Gardens. ACHIPPA and AEPJ. Santiago, Chile.

Urban Design Studio. Ecological Urbanism & Landscape Systems. Universidad Metropolitana.

2005, Spring. Ecology Urban Design Studio. Instructor. Course code: MDUT1. Graduate design studio exploring ecological systems as fundamental components of urban structure. Through territorial analysis and design experimentation, students examined how water, vegetation, topography, infrastructure, mobility, settlement, and public space could be articulated into urban proposals that worked with environmental processes rather than against them.

Architecture Studio. Public Facilities, Amenities & The Building. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2005, Spring. Design II. Instructor. Course code: DA1312. Architectural design studio using public facilities as an introduction to relationships among program, spatial organization, circulation, structure, and collective experience. Students explored how architecture can accommodate shared activities and contribute to the civic life of its surroundings, developing projects through analytical drawing, physical modeling, and iterative design.

Newspaper Article. ¿Buenas Intenciones?

Cardona, I. “¿Buenas Intenciones?” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

2004

History & Theory Seminar. Urban Design, Cartography & Representation. Universidad Metropolitana.

2004, Fall. History of Urban Representation. Instructor. Course code: MDUE2. Graduate history-and-theory seminar investigating how representations of cities have shaped the ways urban territories are understood, governed, and designed. The course examined cartographic, visual, diagrammatic, and projective traditions, emphasizing representation as an analytical practice capable of revealing particular relationships while obscuring others.

Urban Design Studio. Self-Produced Urbanism & Spatial Opportunity. Universidad Simón Bolívar.

2004, Summer. Design VII. Instructor. Course code: DA2314. Advanced architecture and urban design studio examining self-produced environments as complex urban systems rather than territories defined primarily by informality or deficiency. Students investigated relationships among housing, public space, circulation, infrastructure, landscape, and community organization, using architectural and urban design interventions to identify opportunities for improving connections between self-produced neighborhoods and the larger city.

Newspaper Article. Óleo del Ávila Desde un Rancho.

Cardona, I. “Óleo del Ávila Desde un Rancho.” El Universal, Entorno Urbano.

Urban Design Studio. Ecological Urbanism & Landscape Systems. Universidad Metropolitana.

2004, Spring. Ecology Urban Design Studio. Instructor. Course code: MDUT1. Graduate urban design studio introducing ecological principles as generators of urban form and territorial intervention. Students examined relationships among landscape, hydrology, infrastructure, settlement, environmental systems, and human activity, developing design strategies in which ecological processes became active components of urban organization rather than constraints external to design.

History & Theory Seminar. Urban Design, Cartography & Representation. Universidad Metropolitana.

2004, Spring. History of Urban Representation. Instructor. Course code: MDUE2. Graduate seminar examining the history of the city through changing techniques used to represent, interpret, and project urban space. Maps, plans, diagrams, images, and other forms of representation were approached not simply as records of existing conditions but as intellectual and political instruments through which particular ideas of the city are constructed.

2003

Educational and Sports Building. San Agustín School Sports Complex.

Sport Complex San Agustín School, 2001–2003. Built educational and sports complex of approximately 150,000 sq ft for Colegio San Agustín de El Paraíso. Caracas, Venezuela.

Artistic Director. Amarillo No. 5 Theatre Group.

Artistic Director, Theatre Group “Amarillo No. 5,” 1994–2003. Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Master’s Thesis. Caracas: Formal City Versus Alternate City.

Master of Science Thesis. Caracas: Formal City Versus Alternate City. About Formalizing an “Interstitial System” of the City. Universidad Metropolitana. 214 pages. National Library Thesis Database, No. Lft461200472052. In Spanish.

Best Thesis Award. Universidad Metropolitana.

Best Thesis Award. Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design. Thesis: Alternate Cities: About Formalizing an Interstitial Urban System. Universidad Metropolitana. Caracas, Venezuela.

2001

Professional Employment. Banco de Venezuela / Grupo Santander.

Architect, Banco de Venezuela / Grupo Santander, 1999–2001. Professional architectural practice associated with the development of banking facilities in Venezuela.

2000

Urban Slums Qualification.

Urban Slums Qualification Seminar (La Habilitación Física de Barrios). Ministerio de Infraestructura, Consejo Nacional de la Vivienda, and Instituto de Urbanismo, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad Central de Venezuela. Maracay, Venezuela.

Project Management.

Project Management. Institute of Management Studies IESA. Caracas, Venezuela.

1999

Editorial Council Member. Architecture and City.

Member, Editorial Council Architecture and City, 1997–1999. Economía Hoy. Caracas, Venezuela.

Newspaper Article. Otras Aproximaciones.

Cardona, I. “Otras Aproximaciones.” Economía Hoy, Arquitectura Hoy.

1998

The Architecture of the End of the Twentieth Century.

The Architecture of the End of the Twentieth Century (La Arquitectura de Fin de Siglo XX). IX Biennial of Architecture in Caracas. Museo de Bellas Artes, Universidad Central de Venezuela, and Colegio de Arquitectos de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.

Architecture Thesis. The Notion of Urban Bridge.

Architecture Thesis. The Notion of Urban Bridge, Case Study: El Paraíso, Caracas. Universidad Simón Bolívar. 152 pages. USB Library Thesis Database, No. 9122801. In Spanish.

Newspaper Article. Arquitectura Munchausen.

Cardona, I. “Arquitectura Munchausen.” Economía Hoy, Arquitectura Hoy.

Newspaper Article. A Propósito de Herramientas Lúdicas.

Cardona, I. “A Propósito de Herramientas Lúdicas.” Economía Hoy, Arquitectura Hoy.

1997

Conversations about Architecture.

Conversations about Architecture (Conversaciones sobre Arquitectura). Panelists: Ricardo Porro and Enrique Larrañaga. Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Newspaper Article. Diseño Urbano en La Estancia.

Cardona, I. “Diseño Urbano en La Estancia.” Economía Hoy, Arquitectura Hoy.

Newspaper Article. La Esfera de Caracas.

Cardona, I. “La Esfera de Caracas: Un Acercamiento al Inminente In-Between del Caraqueño.” Economía Hoy, Arquitectura Hoy.

1996

Collage Workshop.

Collage Workshop (Taller Collage). Led by Alejandro Borges and Carola Bravo. Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

1995

Meridian Seminar, Continent and Content in Architecture.

Meridian, Continent and Content in Architecture (Meridiano, Continente y Contenido en Arquitectura). Universidad Simón Bolívar. Caracas, Venezuela.

Media Archive

September 27, 2026

Experts Workshop | Participatory Planning and Ecosystemic Democracy in Proyecto Carapé

Video documenting the Experts Workshop for the Territorial Planning Framework of Gran Parque Carapé, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on September 18, 2025. The workshop brought together 63 participants—including 53 experts from public institutions, universities, civil society organizations, local communities, and diverse professional fields—to collectively explore the ecological, productive, social, and territorial systems shaping […]

September 26, 2026

Designing for Life: Fragile Ecologies | Exhibition

Video walkthrough of Designing for Life: Fragile Ecologies, an exhibition exploring how community-based ecological urban design can advance Spatial Democracy in historically underserved communities facing overlapping social and environmental challenges. Presented during Boston Design Week 2023 at Wentworth Institute of Technology, the exhibition brought together urban design and ecological restoration proposals for the Quebrada Tocome […]

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