People

Dr. Carolina Alejandra Rojas

All People

  • Role in Center:

    Scientific Leader at Core Partner Institution

  • Discipline:

    Geography and Urban Planning

  • University:

    Pontifical Catholic University of Chile - Core Partner Institution

  • Country:

    Chile

Carolina Rojas Quezada holds a Ph.D. in Geography and GIS (2008) and an M.Sc. in Geographical Information Systems (2006) from Universidad de Alcalá, Spain, and a B.Sc. in Geography (2002) from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile.

Her research focuses on urban sustainability and mobility, particularly the interaction between people, urbanisation, and natural ecosystems. She has studied the value of urban wetlands, accessibility to green spaces, cities’ environmental impact, and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.

With over forty high-impact publications, she has contributed to policy-making, including the Urban Wetlands Protection Law 21202 of Chile. Recently, she explored COVID-19’s urban environmental effects and gendered aspects of electromobility.

Selected Publications:

  • Rojas, C (ed.) (2025). Urban Wetlands in Latin America: Protection, Conservation, Innovation, Restoration, and Community for sustainable and water sensitive cities. Springer Nature, November, 2024. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-69590-2  978-3-031-69589-6

  • Munizaga, J., Rojas, O., Lagos, B., Rojas, C., Yépez, S., Hernández, E., Ureta, F., de la Barrera, F., & Jato-Espino, D. (2024). Spatiotemporal vegetation dynamics in a highly urbanized Chilean coastal wetland: Insights on long-term natural and anthropogenic influences. Ecological Indicators, 169, 112919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112919

  • Villagra, P., Rojas,C., Alves, S., Rojas, O. (2024). Spatial interactions between perceived biophilic values and neighborhood typologies in wetlands. City and Built Environment, 2:3, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44213-024-00027-2

  • Novoa, V., Rojas, C., Rojas, O., Ahumada, R., Moreno, R. (2024). A temporal analysis of the consequences of the drought regime on the water footprint of agricultural in the Guadalupe Valley, Mexico. Nature Scientific Reports, 14. 6114. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-56407-5 Q1.

  • Ahumada-Rudolph, R., Novoa,V., Rojas, O., Arumí, J., Munizaga, J., De la Barrera, F., Cabrera-Pardo, J., Rojas, C. (2023). Water footprint and virtual water flows from a Mediterranean area of the Global South: foundations for sustainable agriculture in periods of water scarcity. Science of the Total Environment. 161256 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723001419.  

  • Rojas, C., Muñiz, I., Quintana, M., Simon, F., Castillo, B., De la Fuente, H., Rivera, J & Widener, M (2022). Short Run “Rebound Effect” of COVID on the Transport Carbon Footprint. Cities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.104039

  • Rojas, C., Widener, M., Carrasco J.A., Meneses, F., Rodríguez, T (2022).  Accessibility indicators to fresh food, a quantitative insight from Concepción, Chile. The professional Geographer. doi: 10.1080/00330124.2022.2094423

  • Rojas, C., Simon, F., Quintana, M., Irrarázaval, F., Stamm, C., Santos, B., Muñiz, I.(2022). Trends in household energy-related GHG emissions during COVID-19 in four Chilean cities. Carbon Management, 13:1, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2022.2036243

  • Rojas, O., Soto, E., Rojas, C., López, J. (2022). Assessment of the flood mitigation ecosystem service in a coastal wetland and potential impact of future urban development in Chile. Habitat International, 123, 102554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2022.102554

  • Verrelli, B. C., Alberti, M., des Roches, S., Harris, N. C., Hendry, A. P., Johnson, M. T. J., Savage, A. M., Charmantier, A., Gotanda, K. M., Govaert, L., Miles, L. S., Rivkin, L. R., Winchell, K. M., Brans, K. I., Correa, C., Diamond, S. E., Fitzhugh, B., Grimm, N. B., Hughes, S., Marzluff, J., Munshi-South, J., Rojas, C … Ziter, C. (2022). A global horizon scan for urban evolutionary ecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.07.012

Areas of Expertise:

Urban wetlands

Urban Mobility

Nature-Based Solutions

Carbon footprint

Current Position(s):

Full Professor Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales (Urban and Territorial Studies Institute)

Main Researcher Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CEDEUS)

Past Position(s)

Associated Professor University of Concepción