The American Planning Association announced it has promoted Petra Hurtado, PhD, LEED AP ND, to the position of research director.

 

In this role, Hurtado is responsible for advancing current and future planning practices that assist communities in navigating change. She is responsible for leading the research team in APA's Chicago and Washington, D.C., offices to expand a future-focused research agenda. Hurtado will also oversee the growth of new and existing partnerships to advance and fund planning research, according to the association.

Hurtado joined APA's staff earlier this year as the deputy research director. She has more than a decade of international experience in multidisciplinary research and has practiced in both the public and private sectors. She is a member of the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) and works as an adjunct professor at the Vienna University of Technology, teaching a class on sustainability and environmental psychology. Hurtado holds a master's degree in urban and regional planning and a doctorate in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology.

"We congratulate Petra on this well-deserved accomplishment and look forward to her continued leadership and contributions to advance APA's mission and the practice of planning," said APA CEO Joel Albizo, FASAE, CAE.