Dr. Roberto Rocco

I am a full-time assistant professor working at the Chair of Spatial Planning and Strategy within the Department of Urbanism of the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology. I defended my PhD thesis in 2008, on the location trends of advanced producer services in relation to spatial advantages and centrality formation. My current research interests vary from regional planning theory and practice, locational trends and research methodology in areas of design practice.

This last area of research stems from my recent experience as visiting researcher at the University of Hertfordshire (UK), where I took part in the research group Research Into Practice, which investigates issues related to academic research in areas of design practice.

I teach two courses on methodology for the Masters course of the department of Urbanism (click here for the introductory course on critical thinking and here for the course on how to prepare your research and design project), I help coordinate the graduation studio Complex Cities ( this is a graduation studio on spatial planning and strategy. See our brochure) and I teach at the European Masters of Urbanism (visit our website).

I supervise students of the Masters Course of the Department of Urbanism, and I am co-supervisor of PhD candidates of the Chair Spatial Planning and Strategy.

• Doctor of Philosophy, January 2008, Spatial Planning, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  - Theme: Location of advanced producer services and new metropolitan structures under globalization
  - Research Director: Professor Jürgen Rosemann. You can download the complete thesis from the TU Delft institutional repository
• Master of Science. Area: Spatial Planning, January 2003, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo
  - Theme: Urban management tools for large urban projects. You can download the complete text from here
• Bachelor in Architecture and Urbanism. Area: Spatial Planning, December 1996, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo, Brazil. You can download my graduation thesis from here

• 1.     Spatial planning and strategy theory and practice
• 2.     Academic research in areas of research practice
• 3.     The knowledge economy and the knowledge city
• 4.     Centrality formation, agglomeration, metropolinization
• 5.     Location of advanced producer services
• 6.     Metropolitan structures and strategies
• 7.     Methodology

Current activities

•  Responsible for course development in the area of methodology in spatial planning and design, leader of design and planning graduation studios at Masters and post Masters levels, academic supervision of masters and doctoral students. Tasks include developing and delivering courses and lectures in research methodology, spatial planning and strategy (with emphasis on strategic planning, planning theory, planning tools and governance) and urban development at graduate and post graduate levels, supervising and training students in planning and design graduation projects, supervising doctoral students and research

2011

• [Forthcoming]. An urban geography of knowledge-intensive service firms: the case of São Paulo In: GEENHUIZEN, M. V. & NIJKAMP, P. (Eds.), The Knowledge City, Social and Policy Perspectives. Delft. TBM

2010

• Spatial Structural Change and Socio-Spatial Duality under Globalisation: the case of Sao Paulo. In: KLAUFUS, C. & ZOMMERS, A., (Eds.) Latin American Studies Association: From Crisis to recovery, 2010 Chicago. LASA.
• New Spaces for the New Economy: New patters for the location of advanced services in post-Fordism. 24th AESOP Annual Conference. Helsinki: AESOP.

2009

• Design Practice and Research: Interconnections and the criterion-based approach. In: MALINS, J., (Ed.) European Academy of Design: Design Connexity, 2009 Aberdeen. EAD & Robert Gordon University, 375-380.
• A Pedagogical Proposal in an Area of Epistemological Uncertainty. In: PROJETAR, 13-16 Oct. 2009 Sao Paulo. FAU Mackenzie.

2008

• An Urban Geography of Globalisation: New Urban Structures in the Age of Hyper-Connectivity, Delft, IFoU.
• A New Role for Comprehensive Spatial Planning. IN PUTTE, H. V., JONGE, H. D., DECLERCK, J., FRAUSTO, S., NADIN, V., ROCCO, R., PROVOOST, J. & ZWART, J. V. D. (Eds.) Corporations and Cities Colloquium. Brussels, TU Delft & Berlage Institute.
• The Location of Large Advanced Service Firms in the Network City Region: Evidence from the Randstad-Holland. IN PUTTE, H. V. D. (Ed.) Corporations and Cities Colloquium. Brussels, TU Delft & Berlage Institute.

2006

• An Urban Geography of Globalisation: New Corporate Centralities in the Age of Hyper Connectivity. IN VAGGIONE, P. (Ed. ISOCARP Cities between integration and disintegration: opportunities and challenges. Istanbul, IsoCarp.
• Post-Fordism and the Emergence of New Corporate Centralities. IN SCHRIJNEN, P. M. (Ed.) Plandag 2006 : NieuweRuimte Nieuwe Economie; Nieuwe Economie Nieuwe Ruimte. Amsterdam, Plandag Org.
• Modernisation Challenged: Looking for a New
• Epistemological Framework on Modernity and Globalisation. IN PELLEGRINI, P. (Ed). III International PhD Seminar: A new modernity: approaches, theories and designs. Venice, IUAV.
• The Geography of Advanced Producer Services: New Corporate Centralities in Polycentric Urban Structures. IN COSTA, P., PIRES, I., TEIXEIRA, J. A. & PIRES, P. (Eds.) VVI International Conference of RESER. Lisbon, ISCTE/ RESER.
• Foreign Direct Investment and Regional Growth: The Role of FDI in the Tertiary Sector in Triggering Development. IN HOEVEN, F. V. D. & ROSEMANN, J. (Eds.) Urban Transformations and Sustainability: Progress of Research Issues in Urbanism 2005. Delft, DUP/ IOS Press.
• Economic Flexibilization and Denationalisation in Brazil During the 1990s. IN HOGENBOOM, B. & JILBERTO, A. F. (Eds.) Big Business on the Rise: Conglomerates and Economic Groups in Developing Countries and Transition Economies under Globalisation. London, Routledge.
• Building a South American Macrometropolis. IN WIT, T. D. & STANIC, I. (Eds.) Salzburg Congress on Urban Planning and Development: Rapidly Expanding Cities in an Urbanising World. Salzburg, SCUPAD.
• Avoiding the Generic City: Contradictions between Globalisation and Modernity on Urban Identity. IN WANG, C., SHENG, Q. & SEZER, C. (Eds.) IFOU 2006: Modernisation and Regionalism, Re-inventing Urban Identity. Beijing, International Forum of Urbanism.