
Puerari Emma
Associate Professor
Puerari Emma
Associate Professor
Emma Puerari is an Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Department of Design, where she teaches Urban Transformation Processes with a focus on systemic change, social innovation, citizen engagement, and the co-design of public services and policies. She holds a Ph.D. in Territorial Design and Government from the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU) at the Politecnico di Milano (Polimi). Her research interests intersect Service Design, Policy Design, and urban transition and transformation processes.
Throughout her academic career, Emma has developed an international profile, having lived and worked in the Netherlands for over six years. She served as an Assistant Professor in Urban Design and Planning at the Department of Planning and Environment, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen (October 2018 - March 2023). She was also a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology and a visiting researcher at the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) (September 2016 - September 2018). Earlier in her career, she conducted research at KU Leuven (Belgium, 2015) and at the Urban Design Study Unit of the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK, 2012).
At the University of Groningen (2018-2023), she taught and coordinated numerous bachelor’s courses in the Spatial Planning and Design (SPD) and Human Geography and Planning (HPG) programs. She also contributed to the master’s programs in Society, Sustainability and Planning and Environmental Infrastructure Planning, the latter recognised as the top planning master program in the Netherlands. She has been member of CASUS - Center of Advance Studies in Urban Science and Design and URSI-Regional Studies Institute. Emma was also part of the research groups Spatial and Institutional Design and Society Sustainability and Planning. Additionally, she was a member of the Graduate School of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences and an elected member of the Faculty Council (2021-2023).
As a Postdoctoral Researcher (September 2016 - September 2018) at TU Delft and a visiting researcher at DRIFT, she contributed to the Participatory City Making project. She has also been member of the StudioLab, lecturer of the MOOC EdX Co-creating Sustainable Cities, guest lecturer at the courses Interactive Technology Design Studio and Context and Conceptualisation .
Emma has extensive experience in designing and managing European projects, including: NetZeroCities | Accelerating cities' transition to net zero emissions by 2030 (2023-now), URBREATH. Systemic Integration of Transformative Technical and Nature-based Solutions to Improve Climate Neutrality of European Cities and Regions and tackle Climate Change (2025-now), GOCCIA: Green opportunities to clean-up contaminants through an interspecies alliance(2025-now), Desire: Designing the Irresistible Circular Society(2023-2024), Community Participation in Planning (CPIP)(2015-2016), My Neighbourhood | My City (2013-2015),Periphèria (2012-2013).
Since 2013, she is authorof nationally and internationally significant articles published in journals, books, book chapters, and conference papers.
Magazine articles