Confronting COVID-19 in Our Communities: Perspectives from Around the World

Confronting COVID-19 in Our Communities is an online panel of the 30th RPA Assembly.

Since 2004, Uma Adusumilli has headed the regional planning division of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). From 1989 to 2004 she worked as an urban planner with the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO). Ms. Adusumilli represented India in the International Comparative Research projects supported by the British DFID and the Inter-American Development Bank between 1995 and 2004 on housing for the low income groups with emphasis on land supply, regulatory framework and partnerships.

Ms. Adusumilli gained a Master of Science in Urban Housing Management from the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and the Lund University of Sweden, a Master of Planning with the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, and a Bachelor of Architecture rom the College of Fine Arts & Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University.

Professor Bucalem graduated by the Polytechnic School of the Universidade de São Paulo - USP in Civil Engineering in 1984. He became Master in Engineering and started teaching at USP in 1987. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT, USA, in 1992 and in 1997, he became a Full Professor of the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo. In 2007 and 2008 he served as head of the Urban Planning Advisory Department of the Secretary of Planning of the City of São Paulo. In 2009, he became Municipal Secretary of Urban Development at the City of Sao Paulo, and completed the term in the end of 2012. During this time he was also President of Sao Paulo Urbanism, which is the municipal company dedicated to urbanism and urban development, from its creation in May 2010 to the end of 2012. As Secretary of Urban Development for the City of Sao Paulo and President of São Paulo Urbanism, Prof. Bucalem led more than twenty major development projects and strategic initiatives for São Paulo. These included SP 2040 – the long-term strategic plan for São Paulo; The Nova Luz Project – the urban regeneration of 45 blocks in the heart of the City; and Urban Operations – urban areas for upgrading and redevelopment.

In 2013, Prof. Bucalem returned to University of Sao Paulo (USP) and currently directs USP Cidades, a Center for Cities in the University. This is a multi-disciplinary center focused on studying and developing new insights for São Paulo and other Brazilian cities, with a focus on international learning and partnerships. The center aims to engage public and private sectors through applied research to deal with the main urban challenges in the country. He coordinates since 2014 the two year graduate specialization program at USP entitled ​“Planning and Management of Cities”.

Prof. Bucalem served as a member of the International Advisory Committee for the 4th Regional Plan of New York delivered in 2017 by the Regional Plan Association of New York. He also served in the International Advisory Committee to the City of Moscow concerning the redevelopment project of the Moscow River and New territories (2014). In 2015 e 2016, he was a member as invited specialist of Policy Unit 7 ​“Urban Economic Development Strategies” of UN Habitat as part of the process leading to the New Urban Agenda.

Miguel Gamiño is Executive Vice President for Enterprise Partnerships and the Head of Global Cities, Mastercard. In this role, he lead’s Mastercard’s global activities with cities and the City Possible platform, forming public-private partnerships that drive civic efficiency, inclusivity, equality and ultimately better quality of life. Prior to Mastercard, Gamiño served as the Chief Technology Officer of NYC in the Mayor’s Office, where he pioneered a new civic engagement and innovation platform for NYC and stood as a voice of leadership in tech policy. Gamiño’s leadership in NYC translated to a broad and complex portfolio of public infrastructure, digital and visionary initiatives; including broadband for all New Yorkers, smart city and IoT programs, a comprehensive digital strategy and NYCx – the world’s first-of-its-kind program to transform the relationship between government and disruptors of industry – to Make Tech Work for People. Prior to his role in NYC, he was the CIO for the City and County of San Francisco and the CIIO for the City of El Paso. He also founded the Council of Global City CIOs.

Moses Gates is RPA’s Vice President for Housing and Neighborhood Planning, leading the organization’s planning, research and advocacy efforts in affordable housing, economic development, and urban design. He also leads RPA’s efforts to build international partnerships.

Since joining RPA in 2016, Moses has led RPA’s recommendations on affordability, economic development, and livable neighborhoods for the Fourth Regional Plan and authored or overseen several reports on housing policy and neighborhood planning. Prior to joining RPA, Moses was director of planning and community development for the Association for Neighborhood Housing Development, where he led the organization’s housing development policy and planning work and initiated New York City’s first Community Development Fellowship program.

Moses also has worked for New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, as a nonprofit affordable housing developer, and as a licensed New York City tour guide. He is currently a visiting assistant professor at the Pratt Institute and serves on the board of directors for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City. He has a master’s of urban planning from Hunter College, a bachelor’s in history from the University of Wisconsin, and is the author of the memoir​“Hidden Cities” (Tarcher/Perigee 2013).

Jill joined ECF in 2020 as co-CEO. Prior to this she spent over 20 years in increasingly senior roles at major international law firms, most recently as Chief Marketing Officer at Bird & Bird, where she led a team of over 100 marketing, business development and client relationship management specialists based in 18 countries in Europe, Asia Pac and the US. She has also worked in the automotive, pharmaceutical and publishing industries.

A US and Dutch national, Jill grew up near Chicago and has lived and worked in Europe for over 30 years, including in Germany, the UK and Belgium. She speaks English, German and Dutch and holds an MBA from Solvay Business School / Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Her strong passion for cycling attracted her to ECF: She is an avid everyday and recreational cyclist who loves to promote cycling as a sustainable and healthy means of transport and leisure and to see the world by bike on cycling holidays.

Jill and her husband live in Brussels and have three children.