Amalia Calderón-Argelich
R2 - Recognised Researcher
Socio-environmental sciences
Urban Studies
Environmental justice
Climate gentrification
Urban green infrastructure
Climate adaptation
Feminist urbanism
Participatory research
Urban sustainability
COOLSCHOOLS
Amalia Calderón Argelich is a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher at the TURBA research group at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Her work sits at the intersection of environmental justice and urban planning. She holds a PhD in Environmental Science and Technology from ICTA/UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). She is also affiliated to the Barcelona Lab of Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ).
Her research examines how urban greening and climate adaptation strategies shape inequalities and vulnerabilities in cities. She studies the links between climate and housing through climate gentrification and green transitions, with a particular focus on the Barcelona metropolitan area and using mixed methods and participatory processes. She has also worked on feminist urbanism, incorporating the gender perspective into the study of environmental justice. In addition, she has explored distributional and procedural inequities in urban green infrastructure, policy strategies, and the use and perception of public space by historically marginalized communities.
Throughout her work, Amalia is committed to knowledge co-production and public engagement that connect research with actors beyond academia. She has been engaged in developing creative collaborations that bring scientific inquiry into dialogue with policy-making, grassroots activism, civic society, and performative artistic practices.
Calderón-Argelich, A., Anguelovski, I., Etxeberria, E., Hannuschke, L., Breton-Carbonneau, A. C., López-Gay, A., Shokry, G., Oscilowicz, E., Lown, J., Williams, P. C., Lacort, E., & Campos, M. (2025). Co-mapping vulnerability to climate gentrification in the context of urban heat: A participatory index at the metropolitan scale. Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.3138/jccpe-2025-00
Anguelovski, I., Kotsila, P., Lees, L., Triguero-Mas, M., & Calderón-Argelich, A. (2024). From heat racism and heat gentrification to urban heat justice in the USA and Europe. Nature Cities. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-024-00179-6
Calderón‐Argelich A., Anguelovski, I., Cuenca, V., Cole, H. V. S., Triguero‐Mas, M., Valdivia, B., & Baró, F. (2024). Shifting perceptions of green and blue spaces during the COVID‐19 pandemic in gentrifying neighbourhoods: Experiences of inclusion and exclusion by women and non‐binary residents. People and Nature. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10722
Calderón-Argelich A., Anguelovski I., Connolly, J. J. T., Baró F. (2023). Greening plans as (re)presentation of the city: towards an inclusive and gender-sensitive approach to urban greenspaces (2023) Urban Forestry and Urban Greening https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127984
Matheney A., Garcia-Lamarca M., Calderón-Argelich A., Alfandari N., Papillon D., Casa dels Futurs (2023). A space of possibilities: situated research with/from La Casa dels Futurs. Antipode. https://antipodeonline.org/2023/05/10/a-space-of-possibilities-un-espacio-de-posibilidades/
Calderón-Argelich, A., Benetti, S., Anguelovski, I., Connolly, J. J. T., Langemeyer, J., & Baró, F. (2021). Tracing and building up environmental justice considerations in the urban ecosystem service literature: A systematic review. Landscape and Urban Planning, 214, 104130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104130
Baró, F., Calderón-Argelich, A., Langemeyer, J., Connolly, J. J. T. (2019). Under one canopy? Assessing the distributional environmental justice implications of street tree benefits in Barcelona. Environmental Science and Policy, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.08.016
GINA: Gender-Inclusive Adaptation. Understanding the effects of climate gentrification. (Generalitat de Catalunya grant for research projects in the field of gender equality and feminisms. Ref. IFE038/24/000042) Participation as PI.
VIABLE UNKNOWNS: Sustainable and inclusive coexistence in the city (CREA-CULT-2024-COOP – Project number 101173479 – Duration 2024-2026). Participation as co-PI. Creative Europe project from the European Commission.
ClimateJusticeReady (ERC-2022-POC2 – ClimateJusticeReady – Project number 101081926). Participation: Lead, full-time postdoctoral researcher.
FEMPUBLICBCN (Barcelona City Council through the Scientific Research Awards “COVID Funding” Ref. 20S08725). Participation: Co-researcher.
Collaborator: CIDRARC – Global Research Network on Climate-Induced Displacement (SSHRC / University of Toronto)
Earlier collaborations include the ERC project GREENLULUS and Horizon2020 NATURVATION.
My research actively connects academic work with policy debates, grassroots organizations, and urban governance processes. I regularly collaborate with city administrations, community organizations, and international networks to translate research into participatory vulnerability mapping, policy reports, and climate justice frameworks. Some recent examples include:
– Contributing author, Propuestas de la Comunidad Científica frente a la Emergencia Climática [Scientific Community Proposals for Addressing the Climate Emergency] 2026, National Office for Scientific Advice (ONAC), Spain. Report compiling 204 proposals from the scientific community to provide evidence for the development of the future State Pact on Climate Emergency.
– Speaker and co-organizer of dissemination event “Gentrificació verda i justícia habitacional [Green gentrification and housing justice]” with experts, activists and residents. City of event: Barcelona. Organized by: BCNUEJ and Sindicat de Llogateres [Tenants’ Union]. 24th March 2025.
– Speaker and co-organizer of research workshop “Towards Urban Heat Justice. Predicting and Preventing Heat Gentrification in Climate-Adapting Cities” with experts, activists and policymakers from Barcelona and Boston. City of event: Barcelona. Organized by: ClimateJusticeReady research project (ERC PoC) and BCNUEJ-ICTA-UAB. 30th September 2024.
– Invited speaker at seminar with presentation titled “Gentrificaciones verdes: Reflexiones desde una perspectiva global [Green Gentrifications: reflections from a global perspective]”. City of event: Madrid, Spain. Organized by: Ecologistas en Acción. 9th April 2024.
– Co-organizer at workshop titled “Dialogues between different actors interested in achieving a fair and green Barcelona” with experts, activists and policymakers. City of event: Barcelona. Organized by: BCNUEJ-UAB-ICTA 5th October 2022.
– Invited speaker at dissemination event “Justícia Ambiental urbana: l’alzina de Gràcia [Urban environmental justice: the Gràcia holm oak]”. City of event: Barcelona. Organized by: Plataforma Salvem l’Alzina. Event mentioned in two digital medias: Independent.cat and Elnacional.cat. 29th November 2025.
– Invited member of the Jury for the Premi al Voluntariat Socioambiental [Socio-environmental Volunteering Award]. City of event: Barcelona. Organized by: Xarxa per a la Conservació de la Natura (XCN), Federació Catalana de Voluntariat Social, and Consorci de Salut i Social de Catalunya. December 2025.
– Invited speaker at dissemination event “Habitatge. Una perspectiva des del Baix Llobregat” [Housing. A Perspective from the Baix Llobregat]. City of event: El Prat del Llobregat. Organized by: Centre d’Estudis Comarcals del Baix Llobregat within the 9th Conference on Contemporary Landscapes of the Baix Llobregat. 25th October 2025.
– Invited speaker at dissemination talk “Club dels Llunàtics i Llunàtiques [Lunatics’ club]. City of event: Barcelona. Organized by: Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona [Natural History Museum of Barcelona]. 10th April 2025.
– Invited speaker at “Jornada de sensibilització Infraestructura Verda i Blava [Awareness day Green and Blue Infrastructure”. City of event: Sant Celoni. Organized by Sant Celoni City Council and EDAS as part of a participatory process within the POUM development “Pla d’Ordenació Urbanística Municipal [Municipal Urban Planning Plan]”. 21st January 2025.
– Invited speaker at “Foro de Ciudades, Medio Ambiente y Género [Forum on Cities, Environment and Women]”. City of event: Sevilla, Spain. Organized by: Fundación Biodiversidad in collaboration with the Equity Unit of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico [Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge] of Spain. 26th September 2024.
My work has contributed to policy discussions on urban greening, climate justice, and housing inequality and has been featured in media outlets including:
– Calderón-Argelich, A, Anguelovski, I. (2025) “Is Barcelona at risk of losing its green and just leadership? [¿Está Barcelona en riesgo de perder su liderazgo verde y justo?]”. Opinion article in elDiario.es [https://tinyurl.com/bdcsarm9].
– Featured in Monocle magazine in “Monocle’s Quality of Life Survey 2025: The 10 most liveable cities in the world” as scientific expert in Barcelona urban greening. 20th June 2025. https://monocle.com/affairs/urbanism/quality-of-life-survey-2025/
Calderón-Argelich, A, Anguelovski, I, Kotsila, P, (2025) “Heat and inequity: the challenge of heat justice in Spain [Calor y desigualdad: el reto de la justicia térmica en España]”. Opinion article in elDiario.es [https://tinyurl.com/bdeh9wv4].
– Featured in TV3 report “Científiques catalanes als instituts per combatre la desinformació climàtica a les xarxes [Catalan women scientists in high schools to combat climate misinformation on social media.]” as scientific expert. 22nd February 2025. https://tinyurl.com/2cn34jem
– Featured in El Punt Avui report “Les ciutats adopten el verd contra el canvi climatic [Cities adopt greening against climate change]” as scientific expert in urban green infrastructure. 12th March 2024. https://tinyurl.com/mpu3vvs8
– Featured in El Confidencial news as scientific expert in ecosystem services and street trees. 27th October 2024. https://tinyurl.com/2e883d24
– Calderón-Argelich, A., Anguelovski, I., Etxeberria, E., Hannuschke, L., Chu Breton-Carbonneau, A., Lown, J., Williams, P., Oscilowicz, E., Shokry, G., & Lacort, E. (2025). “Predicció de la gentrificació climàtica: Com les respostes a la calor extrema i prolongada a Barcelona poden desencadenar desplaçaments”. Report submitted to the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) 2025.
– Report coordinator, editor and contributing researcher at BCNUEJ report for policymakers E. Oscilowicz, I. Anguelovski, S. Collins, J. Connolly “Green Gentrification in Barcelona” 2022 http://tinyurl.com/yzk26haa.
– Triguero-Mas M, Cole H, Valdivia B, Ortiz Escalante S, Cuenca Cuenca V, Bisjak HC, Calderón-Argelich A. “Fortaleciendo el impacto de los espacios públicos para mejorar la salud y el bienestar en Barcelona: un enfoque interseccional feminista. FEMPUBLICBCN” [Strengthening the impact of public spaces to improve health and wellbeing in Barcelona: an intersectional feminist approach. FEMPUBLICBCN]. Report petitioned by the Barcelona City Council. 2022
MSc thesis co-supervision and examiner: Lisa Hannuschke “Urban Environmental Justice Within the Sustainable Transition of Nantes, France” in European Urban Studies at the Institute for European Urban Studies of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar during academic year 2025-2026.
External MSc internship co-supervision: Lisa Hannuschke “Internship at BCNUEJ Lab: ClimateJusticeReady project” from Bauhaus Universität Weimar during academic year 2024-2025.
MSc thesis co-supervision: Anna Muraközy “Urban climate shelters for just adaptation: a systematic review of the literature”at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability (ICTA-UAB) during academic year 2024-2025.
MSc thesis co-supervision: Sara Masó “Analyzing Urban Green Injustices in Barcelona through GIS-Based Analysis of Access to Public Green Space and Green Infrastructure” at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability (ICTA-UAB) during academic year 2024-2025.
MSc thesis co-supervision: Elke Nys “Mapping social-ecological justice in Barcelona”at Vrije Universiteit Brussel during academic years 2023-2025.
MSc thesis co-supervision: Jacob Murray Strauss “Unraveling Environmental Justice Implications of Urban Green Spaces using Barcelona Case Studies” at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability (ICTA-UAB) during academic year 2023-2024.
External MSc internship co-supervision: Eider Etxebarria “Internship at BCNUEJ Lab: ClimateJusticeReady project” from University of Groningen during academic year 2023-2024.
External BSc thesis co-supervision: Hanne Carla Bisjak “A Case Study analysis of the governmental participatory online platform ‘decidim’ in Barcelona in times of the pandemic” at Leuphana University Lüneburg during academic year 2022-2023.
MSc thesis co-supervision: Leoni Vollman “Tracing green streets: Expected opportunities and challenges of Barcelona’s Green Axes and Squares” at Vrije Universiteit Brussel during academic years 2021-2023.
Instructor of courses “Climate change and Health” and “Climate Change and Pollution” at Planetary Health master UOC 2025-2026.
Author of teaching guide for the Interdisciplinary Approaches to Planetary Health course, Online Master in Planetary Health (UOC-UPF) · 2025
Instructor of Urban Green Infrastructure, International Master in City Resilience Design and Management (UIC Barcelona) · 2018–2025
Instructor of Greening the City, MSc Urban Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel · 2022
Guest lecturer at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Kean University, Universitat de Lleida, and international MSc programs in Barcelona.