Personal profile
Biography
Carlos J. L. Balsas, Ph.D., AICP is a Lecturer in Planning at the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment at Ulster University. Carlos Balsas is an urban and regional planner trained in Europe and the U.S. with graduate degrees (MRP and PhD) in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a licentiate degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Carlos Balsas has worked in multiple professional capacities in urban revitalization and resilience, urban governance, non-motorized transportation planning, mega-event development, city and culture, and international planning in Portugal, Massachusetts, California, Arizona, and New York. He has published books on commercial urbanism, sustainable urbanism, walkability, and city centre revitalization. Prior to his appointment at the University at Albany, SUNY Carlos Balsas was an assistant professor at Arizona State University, Tempe campus. His teaching portfolio includes a whole array of undergraduate and graduate courses in urban and regional planning, planning theory and ethics, urban design, planning studios, metropolitan governance, sustainable transportation planning, digital communities and urban development, study abroad, plan implementation, community development, bicycle and pedestrian planning, and global urbanism and culture. Carlos Balsas has chaired and or served on Masters and PhD advisory committees and performed professional service in the U.S., Brazil, and Portugal. Several of his advanced planning studios and report-directed courses have won professional planning awards in Arizona and New York.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 1 No Poverty -
SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Knowledge Concerning Land Management for Metropolitan Governance in the U.S.A
Balsas, C. J. L., 28 Feb 2026, In: Land. 15, 2, p. 1-20 20 p., 290.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Sustainable Commercial Urbanism in Japan: Hiroshima’s Shopping Anatomy
Balsas, C. J. L., 26 Jan 2026, (Published online) In: Urban Planning. 11, p. 1-23 23 p., 11258.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Toward the Meta-Industry City: A Retrofitting Urban Industry Strategy in the U.S. Sunbelt
Balsas, C. J. L., 24 Feb 2026, (Published online) In: Land. 15, 3, p. 1-19 19 p., 366.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Buffalo’s waterfront Renaissance – Citizen activists, NGOs, and the canalside project: by Gene Bunnell, Albany, New York, Excelsior Editions – SUNY Press, 2024
Balsas, C., 11 Jul 2025, (Published online) In: Community Development. p. 177-179Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review
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Enthralling Prefigurative Urban and Regional Planning Forward
Balsas, C., 30 Nov 2025, In: Land. 12, 11, p. 1-22 22 p., 1973.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)76 Downloads (Pure)
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