Silvina Lopez

Silvina Lopez Barrera is an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University. She is a licensed Architect in Uruguay, LEED-AP accredited, and holds a Master of Architecture degree from Iowa State University. Grounded in spatial justice theory, her research explores how socio-spatial inequalities influence informal housing, housing insecurity, and community resilience in the United States and Latin America. With a focus on self-help housing and community adaptation to climate change, her research employs multiple architectural fieldwork methods, including oral histories and participatory processes that aim to engage marginalized communities, amplify their voices, and address systemic inequities. Her research has been published in several academic journals including Local Development and Society and Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability. She has published book chapters in Informality and the City: Theories, Actions, and Interventions and in Public Space/Contested Space: Imagination and Occupation. Prior to joining the faculty at Mississippi State University, Lopez Barrera was faculty member at Iowa State University and Middlebury College. She is member of the Uruguayan Society of Architects and International Associate member of the American Institute of Architects. Lopez Barrera currently serves in AIA Strategic Council and AIA National Associates Committee.