Emma Puerari is currently Associate Professor, Design Department, Politecnico di Milano (ICAR 21-Urban Design), where she teaches and work on different research projects (incl.DESIRE and NetZeroCities).

PhD in Territorial Design and Government at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU), Polimi. Emma's research focuses on the role of design in enabling spatial and institutional transformation within urban environments and territories. Her expertise develops around urban (and territorial) service design with a focus on the related governance models (3Ps and 4Ps models). In this respect, the territorial impact of citizens engagement in co-creation and co-production processes is a crucial part of her research interest.

Before becoming part of the section Design and Cultures of the Design Department, Emma lived and worked for more than six years in The Netherlands. She has been Assistant Professor in Urban Design and Planning at the Planning and Environment Department, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen (October 2018-March 2023), Post-doc Researcher on the project Participatory City Making, at the Industrial Design Faculty, Delft University of Technology and visiting researcher at the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) (September 2016-September 2018). Before, she was employed at DAStU as Researcher. Her expertise focuses on the interplay of planning and design domains in sustainability transition processes. She has been member of several research groups working on National and European Research Projects.