João Igreja is a civil engineer and urban planning researcher specialising in urban and territorial planning, sustainable mobility, transport accessibility, socio-spatial inequalities and geospatial analysis.
From 2023 to 2026, he was a fixed-term researcher at the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo, in a position established within MOST – the National Centre for Sustainable Mobility. His research examined the relationships between urban form, transport networks and accessibility, with particular attention to rail systems, station environments and the territorial distribution of urban opportunities.
He also contributed to the national research project Mapping the New Spatial Inequalities within Southern European Cities, developing analyses of socio-demographic conditions, accessibility, services and environmental characteristics in Palermo and Naples. Within Cli-Met – Implementing the Climate Agenda in Metropolitan Cities, he has contributed to research, educational and knowledge-sharing activities concerning metropolitan governance and urban climate policy.
Since November 2021, João has been responsible for the secretariat and institutional communication of the European Urban Research Association (EURA), an international network connecting research, policy and practice in the field of urban studies. His role includes coordinating communication with members, partner organisations and governing bodies, as well as supporting conferences, events and other international initiatives.
He has taught urban and town planning, planning techniques, strategic planning and sustainable urban design in bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes at the Department of Engineering and Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo.
João obtained his PhD in Architecture, Arts and Planning, specialising in urban, regional and landscape planning, from the University of Palermo in September 2021, with the additional distinction of Doctor Europaeus. His doctoral research examined the implementation of the European Urban Agenda from the perspective of cities at the geographical and institutional margins of Europe, focusing on Porto as its principal case study.
During his PhD, he spent nine months as a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment – CITTA, where he investigated the relationships between European urban policies and urban regeneration processes in Porto.
He previously completed an Erasmus+ research traineeship at the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo, focusing on the spatial and functional analysis of the Marsala waterfront and the development of an urban regeneration proposal.
João holds an MSc in Civil Engineering, specialising in Urban Planning and Transport, from NOVA University Lisbon. He was born in Lisbon in 1991 and is currently based in Palermo.
