Mariana is a Senior Manager for Urban Development at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. By working on different projects, she provides technical support to develop integrated planning approaches for cities to become resilient, inclusive, low-carbon places that are better for people and the planet.

Currently, Mariana manages the UrbanShift’s global initiative, a global partnership between UNEP, WRI, ICLEI and C40, funded by the GEF, that seeks to build capacity, share knowledge and raise climate leadership in Global South cities. Mariana coordinates the partnership, and leads the WRI work, including the City Academy, UrbanShift Labs, and geospatial analysis.

Prior to joining WRI, Mariana worked at the World Bank, on urban investment projects and knowledge products focusing on slum upgrading, municipal infrastructure, affordable housing, urban planning and local economic development. She has edited books on urban regeneration and on metropolitan integrated planning, both published by the World Bank. Prior to the World Bank, Mariana worked the at the University of Michigan’s William Davidson Institute and at the Interamerican Development Bank.

Mariana holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the Catholic University of La Plata, Argentina, and Master’s Degrees in Public Policy and Urban Planning from the University of Michigan.