Karen Mata

Karen Mata is a Venezuelan architect and received a Master of Architecture in Urban Design Candidate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2018. Her work aims to bolster bottom-up approaches to city making and the urban form, exploring the use of Information and Communication Technologies as a resource to address social justice and ignite local economies, while fostering accessibility to public amenities.

In Venezuela, Mata participated in the creation of community events and public space to revitalize historic and disadvantaged parts of Caracas interacting with public and private institutions. In Colombia, she engaged in community approaches working within an Integral Development Program called “Progresa Fenicia” focusing on affordable housing and preventing gentrification.

In 2015, Mata represented Venezuela in an Iberoamerican Leadership Program (Jóvenes Líderes Iberoamericanos) in Spain with Fundación Carolina. She graduated with “Summa Cum Laude” honors from the Universidad Simon Bolivar.