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Faculty

Hugo Sarmiento

Hugo Sarmiento is an Assistant Professor in the Urban Planning Program at Columbia GSAPP and a faculty affiliate at the Climate School. His research critically examines the political economy of climate adaptation and its relationship to urban inequality, housing, and racial exclusion. Drawing on critical theory and political ecology, his work challenges dominant paradigms and discursive practices associated with resilience theory. His research agenda centers on social movements, insurgent planning, and grassroots activism that shape adaptation strategies and broaden our understanding of climate justice.

Currently, his research focuses on climate displacement and development in Latin America and the United States, including projects examining the planned relocation of communities vulnerable to flooding and landslides in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Chile. His work has been supported by grants from Columbia World Projects, the Center for Political Economy, and the Urban Studies Foundation. His research has been published in journals including Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, Journal for Planning Education and Research, and Journal of Urban Affairs. He teaches planning research methods and planning history. He received his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in the Department of Urban Planning.

Courses

Course	Semester	Title	Student Work	Instructor	Syllabus	Requirements & Sequence	Location & Time	Session & Points	Call No.
PLAN4208‑1	Fall 2026	Planning Methods		Hugo Sarmiento		UP Required	209 Fayerweather + 203 Fay, 204 Fay, 204 Fay W 3 PM - 5 PM + TH 2 PM - 3 PM, TH 3 PM - 4 PM, F 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM	Full Semester 3 Points	10721

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Recent News

Oct 1, 2025

UP PhD candidates Samantha Saona, Mauricio Rada, and Daniela Ugas win the Urban Studies Foundation Seminar Series Award with faculty Hugo Sarmiento, Anthony Vanky, and Tom Slater.

Feb 18, 2025

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Faculty Hugo Sarmiento writes "A Double Displacement: Climate Resettlements and Bogota’s Desplazados," for Journal of Planning Education and Research, on the futures of fair urban planning

Jan 23, 2025

Faculty Hugo Sarmiento publishes new article, "A Double Displacement: Climate Resettlements and Bogota's Desplazados" in the Journal of Planning Education and Research

Oct 18, 2024

Faculty Hugo Sarmiento published the article "Insurgent climate adaptation in Santiago de Cali: Resisting and reshaping flood-risk resettlements" in Environment and Planning: Politics and Space

Jul 22, 2024

Article from the Columbia Climate School, “The Case for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure” features faculty Thaddeus Pawlowski and Hugo Sarmiento on the subjects of infrastructure and housing

Nov 22, 2023

GSAPP Conference "Migrant 'Crisis' in NYC" organized by Associate Professor Hiba Bou Akar with Assistant Professor Hugo Sarmiento is featured in Columbia Spectator

Jul 21, 2023

Columbia News profiles Assistant Professor Hugo Sarmiento's work on Climate Change and Social Justice

Oct 28, 2022

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GSAPP Faculty Deborah Helaine Morris, Thaddeus Pawlowski and Hugo Sarmiento publish op-ed "New York’s Climate Crisis is a Housing Crisis" in City Limits

Feb 9, 2021

Hugo Sarmiento appointed Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP

Hugo Sarmiento joins the GSAPP faculty as Assistant Professor beginning Summer 2021. His appointment is the outcome of a faculty search in Urban Planning with a focus on land use, environmental conditions and resilience, and scholars who engaged global conditions such as climate change, transnational mobility, and 21st century urbanization. Sarmiento’s research considers the political and economic dimensions of emerging housing and land use strategies for climate change adaptation, post-disaster recovery, and resilience planning. His research critically examines the relationship between planning for climate change and spatial inequalities such as poor infrastructure, informality, and racialized segregation.

Hugo Sarmiento

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