ValERIA HENAO.
URBAN PLANNING | URBAN DESIGN | ARCHITECTURE
Spanish
01 SKILLS
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE IN SOFTWARE
Adobe Illustrator
Expert
Adobe Indesign
Expert
Adobe Photoshop
Expert
Adobe Premiere
Proficient
ArcGIS
Proficient
AutoCAD
Proficient
Sketchup
Proficient
Office
Proficient
I base my professional philosophy on empowering marginal groups by using my skills and creativity to improve urban environments. I am particularly committed to highlighting the local knowledge of the communities in the planning process. My work spans three countries, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States
02 portfolios
04 WORK EXPERIENCE
February 2022 - Noviembre 2023
INSTRUCTOR
Universidad San Buenaventura
Instructor in the Architecture school at the Universidad San Buenaventura, I teach two classes; Urban grammar, which is the equivalent to basics of urbanism, and cities. The course explores cities' history and introduces analytical tools to understand cities. The second class is last year's design studios VIII and XI; in these two classes, students develop design projects while working on their capstone/ thesis. In addition, students for this class have participated in the Saint Gobain student contest 2022, winning the Colombian national stage among more than seventy projects. Finally, I was an advisor for a community practice class, a mandatory class for students working directly with communities creating projects.
April 2019-August 2022
COORDINATOR OF PLANNING AND ENGAGEMENT
Mobility-Movilidad
On-site coordinator and local instructor for the Global Seminar class, teaching CU Boulder students urban processes through case studies in Medellín. Additionally, the creation of community participation strategies to use in the project design and planning process. Finally, coordination of meetings with urban planners, architects, and designers in Medellín, to show students the city's famous transformation strategies.
Jan 2020-May 2020
INTERN
MIG
Creation of plans, renders, conceptualization diagrams, and structuring urban projects at different scales (Block, Neighborhood, and City). Creation of communication materials such as postcards and posters for community meetings. Finally, participation in master plans for transportation, public space, and housing.
August 2017-March 2018
LEAD ARCHITECT
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana
Architect overviewing production of a technical and regulatory framework, urban conceptualization, and final design of the public space master plan for the city of Bucaramanga. Design of strategic projects and urban furniture, creation of maps and diagrams for each stage of the plan.
October 2016-Feruary 2017
INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT
Jota Samper for the Inter-American Development Bank
consultant or the analysis of the infrastructure needs of the Ministry of Labor of the city of Nassau in order to justify the loan of 3 million dollars for the construction of a new building.
November 2015-January 2016
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Research assistant in the process of Monitoring and evaluation of the housing policy of the Development Plan 2012-2015 "Medellín a home for life" in the context of the Strategic Housing Plan of Medellín, PEHMED 2020. Analysis of databases and creation of maps presenting the results of the PEHMED and the perception of the beneficiaries.
March 2023 - Currently
ASSISTANT TEACHING PROFESSOR
University of Colorado Boulder | Program of Environmental Design
Assistant teaching professor at the Environmental Design Program, responsible for teaching Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban design and Architecture classes. Including core technology courses for the first year students in the program. As the Co-lead of the Environmental Design Diverse Scholars group, I provide mentorship and guidance for students coming from diverse backgrounds.
August 2021-October 2022
CONSULTANT | PROJECT MANAGER
Tecnologico de Monterrey | A+U | Equipo Mazzanti
Carry out the strategic master plan, leading design, technical and administrative teams in planning the Campana neighborhood in Monterrey, Mexico. Strategic goals of improving infrastructure, public facilities, and public space. And in Colombia, leading comprehensive plans for rural and urban areas for the cities of Santa Fe de Antioquia and Itagui. In addition, formulate recommendations for updating master plans and comprehensive plans for several cities in Antioquia.
January 2020-May 2020
SOFTWARE INSTRUCTOR
University of Colorado Denver
Teacher assistant in Planning Workshop class, in charge of teaching first-semester students of the Master in Urban and Regional Planning the essential tools of ArcGIS and SketchUp, focusing their application to urban design and planning. Aditionally the development of the document “How can diverse communities resist gentrification? “ focused on presenting information about the displacement of marginalized communities in the city of Denver.
April 2019-July 2019
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Changing Character of Conflict | Oxford
Analysis of large databases to create maps using ESRI online. The objective of the maps is to show the changes in different conflicts around the world for the platform "Changing Character of Conflict."
April 2017-May 2017
ARCHITECT
Marcos Ramirez Erre
Dibujo de planimetría para la escultura “About time” del Marcos Ramirez Erre en San Diego, C.A
April 2016-May 2016
ARCHITECT
Rambler S.A
Creation of evacuation plans as a complement to the 2017 emergency plan. Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción y Rambler S.A.
