Hugo Sarmiento

Hugo Sarmiento is an Assistant Professor in the Urban Planning Program at Columbia GSAPP and a faculty affiliate at the Climate School. His research critically examines the political economy of urban climate adaptation and its relationship to spatial injustices, such as racial segregation and housing inequality. He draws on urban critical theory and political ecology to challenge the dominant paradigms and discursive practices associated with resilience theory. His research agenda centers the social movements, insurgent planning, and grassroots activism that shape adaptation strategies and our understanding of climate justice.

Currently, his research focuses on climate displacement and urban development in Latin America and the United States, particularly the relocation of communities vulnerable to flooding in Colombia and community-based adaptation efforts in Chile. Hugo’s work has been published in journals such as Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, Journal for Planning Education and Research, and Journal of Urban Affairs. He received his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Department of Urban Planning.