School of Architecture - Technical University of Crete
Valina Geropanta is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and New Technologies at the School of Architecture of the Technical University of Crete. She holds a Diploma in Architecture and Engineering from the University of Patras (2007), an MA in Housing and Urbanism from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA), London (2009), and a PhD from Sapienza University of Rome (2016) in the field of Smart Cities, awarded through a full international scholarship.
Her professional and research work focuses on urban planning, smart cities, and the integration of digital technologies into the design of new forms of urban experience. Among her professional projects, she has co-led the urban planning and design of two neighborhoods within the Hellinikon–Agios Kosmas Metropolitan Development and contributed to the Master Plan of the Aristotle High School campus as an external collaborator of architectural office. In parallel, she undertakes urban planning studies, urban regeneration projects, and architectural commissions in the private sector.
At the Digital Media Lab (DMLab) of the Technical University of Crete, she serves as a member of the research team and manages projects that connect public space design with digital transformation and culture. These include the “Modernization of the Old Acropolis Museum through innovative digital applications for the representation, revival, and storytelling of the Sacred Rock”; the “Urban Regeneration of Pnyx for the revival of the Sound and Light project”; the Master Plan studies for the former Agricultural Cooperative of Archanes; the development of “digital representation and promotion systems for extensive archaeological site networks” (five cultural routes of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture); and projects exploring the dissemination of cultural content in urban public spaces, such as the “Immersion of the Greek National Opera Archive into Public Space” and the “Digital Walking Routes and Promotion of the Kifissia Mansions,” among others.
As Principal Investigator, she has led the HERCITY project in the city of Chania in collaboration with the United Nations (UN-Habitat), the Union Youth project funded through the Ideas Nursery Programme, and the Update My City project in collaboration with UN-Habitat, the Municipality of Chania, and the Center for Mediterranean Architecture. Through her teaching and research activities, beyond urban planning, she supervises the development of spatial artificial intelligence applications, participatory planning tools, and digital citizen services, guiding research concepts toward prototypes and pilot implementations with the potential for real-world deployment in public spaces. This work has already resulted in student awards and scientific publications.
In parallel, she is active in the production of documentary films and audiovisual projects exploring the relationship between architecture, the city, and culture. Among these, the documentary “Aldo Rossi. L’architetto e le città”, filmed at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, stands out, alongside the documentary series “People of…”, which highlights personalities, places, and narratives shaping contemporary cultural and urban identity.
She participates in European research programmes (Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, Erasmus BIP) and is involved in international collaborations, including pilot research projects in Ecuador, Armenia, India, Nepal (with SONA), the Global Pandemic Network (GPN) in Rome, and UN-Habitat in Nairobi, among others. Her scientific output includes approximately 70 publications, one monograph, and three edited volumes. She has secured international research funding and developed research activities across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
She was awarded a scholarship by UNESCO-ORBICOM to present her work at the 7th UNESCO World Congress in Peru. Today, she serves as a Member of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence for Culture of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, a Certified Evaluator for the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation, and Coordinator of the “Cities” and “Digital Society” clusters of the Global Pandemic Network (GPN) in Rome. She has also served as a United Nations consultant on the project Frontier Technologies for the Urban Poor.
Smart cities, Innovation Environments, Smart - Intelligent Districts and Smart Buildings
Urban Planning for Urban Resilience, Urban health, city wellbeing and social innovation
ICT based strategies for the cultural heritage and tourism
email: vgeropanta@tuc.gr