Rafael de Balanzó Joue

Rafael De Balanzó Joue, PhD, serves as the Pratt Barcelona Study Abroad Director and Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute, where courses focus on resilience thinking, sustainability, and urban communities. With extensive teaching experience at the City University of New York, Rafael instructs on urban economics, community resilience, and environmental policies. As a Senior Researcher for various NSF projects, Rafael explores transdisciplinary approaches to STEM teaching and the integration of design thinking into undergraduate curricula. Rafael founded Urban Resilience Thinking Design Initiatives, leading projects aimed at enhancing urban quality of life. Educational qualifications include a Ph.D. in Sustainability from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and Master's degrees in Design and Communication and Landscape Architecture.