PhD in Community and Regional Planning from The University of Texas at Austin, BA in Architecture from the National University of Colombia and a MSc in Urban Design and Urban Planning from the Bauhaus-Weimar University (Germany) and the Tongji University (China). His research focuses on urban morphology, zoning and land use with a special focus on social equity. As an Architect-Urbanist, he has collaborated on urban design and architecture projects for firms in Colombia, Germany and China, and as a consultant in planning for different public and private institutions on transportation, affordable housing and zoning. He has received scholarships for his academic research from the Colombian Ministry of Education, the Colombian Department of Science and Technology, the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, the European Union and the Fulbright Commission.