Edna Ely-Ledesma

Biography 

Edna Ely-Ledesma is assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The corpus of her research, teaching, and mentoring focuses on understanding the development of the smart, green, and just 21st century city, in particularly the cultural landscapes of immigrant populations, micro-economies, and their development of a new understanding of city place.

She holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Architecture and a Master of Urban Design from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University. She is a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellow. In 2016 she was the Emerging Scholar of Race & Gender Fellow in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, and in 2017 she was the Carlos E. Castañeda Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Research Interests

Edna Ely-Ledesma’s interests revolve around city design, planning, public spaces, markets, hybrid space, incrementalism and human geography.

Publication

Journal Articles

Ledesma, E., Giusti, C., Safarova, B., Vasquez, L. & Valles Rojas, E. (2015). “Diálogo on the Border: Planning for Latino Communities in South Texas.” In S. Stein, C. Irazábal (Eds.), Progressive Planning: Summer 2015,  40-43.

Sullivan, E. & Ledesma, E. (2015). “Same Trailer, Different Park.” Contexts, 14, No.1, 50-57.

Safarova, B., Ledesma, E., Luhan, G., Caffey, S., & Giusti, C. (2014). “Hackathon as a mechanism for activating beginning design education.” In M. Jackson, G. Marinic, & L. Kirkland (Eds.), Engaging Media: Identifying means, interrogating methods, investigating materials. Beginning Design Conference,  233-240.

Book Chapters

Ledesma, E. & Cruz, C. (Forthcoming). “Shaping Success: Exploring the Evolution of Latino Business on U.S.-Mexico Border States.” in A. Morales, M. Pisani, P. Oyes, J. Porras (Eds.) Advancing Latino Entrepreneurship: A National Economic Imperative. Purdue University Press.

Safarova, B. & Ledesma, E. (2019). “Reading the figure ground on the Texas – Mexico border 1920 – 1970: Brownsville – Matamoros twin cities.” in R. Cansino, F. Lara (Eds.) Architecture and Forced Exploitation: The Gulf of Mexico, 1920-1970. University of Texas Press.

Giusti, C., & Ledesma, E.(2019). “Diálogos for Latino Communities.” in L. Tate, B. Shannon (Eds.) Planning for AuthentiCITIES. Routledge.