Paola Pellegrini holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Architecture and a PhD in Urbanism from the University of Architecture in Venice, Italy. In 2018 - 2021 she was Visiting Professor at the Master in Urbanism at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação, Bauru, Brazil. She was Visiting Associate in Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge MA.Before joining XJTLU Paola was adjunct Associate Professor at the European postgraduate Master in Urbanism, Consortium of TU Delft, KU Leuven, UPC Barcelona, and IUAV; at the School of Architecture and Society of the Polytechnic in Milan; at University of Architecture in Venice - and at Udine University, Engineering and Architecture Department, Italy.Paola is a registered Architect in Italy, and has always combined academic research and professional practice in City Planning and Urban Design. In 2016 and 2017 she was Member of the Operating Board for European Projects and Urban Policies of the Italian National Chamber of Architects. Among other design and planning activities she was involved in the “Strategisch Ruimtelijk Structuurplan Antwerpen”, Belgium, in the “Le grand pari de l’agglomération parisienne, marché de recherche et développement pour lavenir du Paris métropolitain“, France, in several projects on mobility infrastructures financed by the European Union Programmes on Sustainability, in several projects of urban heritage regeneration in Italy.

The on-going researches deal with 2 topics related to the Chinese and Italian contexts: sustainable regeneration of urban China, focusing on the issues of density and proximity; wasted urban heritage, the abandonment processes of historic city centers in Italy and the requalification projects.

In the past the research activity explored: conservation and regeneration of the urban heritage; design for low density scattered territories; the integrated project of infrastructures for mobility; the scenario and vision as tools for the complexity of contemporary urban phenomena.

Key words: Urbanization, High-density, urban heritage, sprawl, densification and sustainability

High qualification Expert for assessing the proposals related to the European Funding Programme: Programma di Cooperazione INTERREG V-A Italia-Slovenia 2014-2020, year 2017 and 2018

Senior expert for the definition and management of several European Union Projects regarding wide areas comprehensive planning, TEN-T projects, and local mobility.

Practitioner in Urban Design for several projects such as: Master Plan for the regeneration of the historic center of the village of Codroipo, IT; Masterplan of Kodrina Complex, Komuna e Prishtinës, Kosovo Short-listed team (with Tekne + Basement 15); Design and program for the widening of the Shopping Mall “Città Fiera”, IT; Analysis and regulations for conservation and regeneration of the XIX century urban heritage in the city of Udine, IT.

Practitioner in Urban Planning for several projects in Italy such as: Environment Management Plan of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Aquileia, pilot project; Strategic development plan of the mountain community Comunità Collinare del Friuli; Chart of Values of the mountain community Comunità Montana della Carnia; Requalification of the dismissed barrack Radaelli and methodological guide for the regeneration; Expert for the technical activities of the Horizon 2020 project PORTIS - PORT-Cities: integrating sustainability.; General and comprehensive city plan of Udine town and territory.

Urban Designer at the Studio Associato Secchi – Viganò, Milano (IT).

SUZHOU DESIGN WEEK 2019 Project Leader of ‘REINVENTING SUZHOU’ exhibition of recent projects combining research and educational outcomes from the XJTLU Department of Urban Planning and Design and the Design Research Center. The exhibition received the “Heritage and Innovation” award.