Deputy Director of Research and Development at the Institute of Urban and Territorial Studies, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Geographer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. DEA and Ph.D. in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Alcalá. Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University.
RESEARCH AREAS
Her research lines focus on sustainability and urban mobility, with an emphasis on the impacts and effects of urbanization on natural water ecosystems and on measures to improve accessibility to open and green spaces through sustainable modes such as walking, aiming for more sustainable, resilient, and water-sensitive cities.
She has published over 40 high-impact scientific articles (WoS) and has participated in national and international scientific events, alongside a strong connection between science and public policy, demonstrated in her contributions to the Ley de protección de Humedales Urbanos and the 17 SDGs.
Her current research relates to the conservation of humedales urbanos in Chile and Latin America, accessibility indicators in Chilean cities, climate change adaptation measures such as nature-based solutions, and the impacts of COVID-19 on the carbon footprint of households.
Principal Investigator of the Fondecyt Project No. 1150459, “Efectos de la Urbanización en la conservación de la Biodiversidad de Humedales Costeros” (www.urbancost.cl). Lead Investigator of “Mujeres y sus actitudes hacia la electromovilidad en ciudades (ELECTRA)”, 2023–2024. II202311 (Interdisciplinary Research Competition). Co-Investigator of Fondecyt Regular Project No. 1230655, “Interdisciplinary study on the perception of noise in the city of Santiago in the (post) pandemic context”, 2023–2027.
LATEST 10 PUBLICATIONS
Villagra, P., Rojas, C., Rojas, O., & Alves, S. (2024). Spatial interactions between perceived biophilic values and neighborhood typologies in urban wetlands. City and Built Environment, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44213-024-00027-2
Novoa, V., Rojas, C., Rojas, O., Ahumada-Rudolph, R., & Moreno-Santoyo, R. (2024). A temporal analysis of the consequences of the drought regime on the water footprint of agriculture in the Guadalupe Valley, Mexico. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56407-5
McPhillips, L., Wu, H., Rojas, C., Rosenzweig, B., Sauer, J., & Winfrey, B. K. (2023). Nature-based solutions as critical urban infrastructure for water resilience. En Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks (pp. 146-166). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800376762.00017
Vecchio, G., Castillo, B., Villegas, R., Rojas, C., Steiniger, S., & Carrasco, J. A. (2023). Elderly Walking Access to Street Markets in Chile: An Asset for Food Security in an Unequal Country. Sustainability, 15(5), 3893. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15053893
Rojas, C., Guajardo, F. J., & Steiniger, S. (2022). Acceder caminando a los humedales urbanos: una oportunidad de recreación y bienestar. Urbano, 25(46), 56-67. https://doi.org/10.22320/07183607.2022.25.46.05
Rojas, C., Simon, F., Muñiz, I., Quintana, M., Irarrázaval, F., Stamm, C., & Santos, B. (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, C., Sepúlveda, E., Jorquera, F., Munizaga, J., & Pino, J. (2022). Accessibility disturbances to the biodiversity of urban wetlands due to built environment. City And Environment Interactions, 13, 100076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2021.100076
Rojas, O., Soto, E., Rojas, C., & López, J. 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
Munizaga, J., García, M., Ureta, F., Novoa, V., Rojas, O., & Rojas, C. (2022). Mapping Coastal Wetlands Using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning in a Highly Urbanized Landscape. Sustainability, 14(9), 5700. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095700
Rojas, C., & Jorquera, F. (2021). Urban Fabrics to Eco-Friendly Blue–Green for Urban Wetland Development. Sustainability, 13(24), 13745. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413745
