2023 Conference Agenda

Petra Hurtado, PHd

Petra (Stieninger) Hurtado is the Director of Research and Foresight at the American Planning Association, heading APA’s research programs and foresight practice. In this role, she is responsible for expanding a future-focused research agenda, advancing planning practices that assist communities in navigating change, and developing APA’s foresight practice to inform APA’s strategic governance. Her areas of expertise and research include strategic foresight, urban futures and emerging technologies. urban sustainability, smart cities, nature-based solutions, and environmental psychology. In addition, Petra teaches a course on “community visioning with foresight” at the University of Maryland.  
Prior to joining APA, she worked as an advisor, planner, researcher, and educator in the global urban sustainability arena. She has a Ph.D. in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology, where she teaches on urban sustainability and environmental psychology.  
Additionally, she has been a guest lecturer at Harvard GSD, Loyola University Chicago and the Universidad Tecnologica de Bolivar in Colombia. Petra has authored and co-authored multiple books, research papers, publicly funded reports, and articles and has presented as a keynote speaker and subject matter expert at numerous conferences around the globe.