Luis Rojas Bonilla

Climate Adaptation in Cities, International Urban Planning and Design, Resilient and Sustainable Housing, Nature-based Solutions, Post-conflict and post-disaster reconstruction

Spain

About

An urban planner, urban designer and architect with +20 years of overall experience in the built environment, including urban resilience, nature-based solutions, liveable cities, spatial plans, low carbon development, urban renewal and revitalisation, transport-oriented development, settlement upgrading, and the design and construction of low-income resilient housing, schools, and other public buildings. I bring experience in GIS, climate finance, infrastructure planning, community participation, post-disaster and post-conflict reconstruction, research, and land value capture.

Experience

  • Independent Consultant (2 yrs 6 mos)
    • Urban Planner
      Dec 2025 - Present · 8 mos

      Project: Sinaan Green Urban Growth Programme, Somalia (FCDO, via DT Global UK) Country: Somalia A UK-funded initiative aimed at addressing rapid urbanisation, climate risks, and governance in Somalia by transforming cities into inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economic hubs. The role will support Benadir Regional Authority’s Department of Urban Planning and Engineering to rebuild its planning and development control function, introduce standardised processes and produce planning products that guide municipal decisions.

    • Senior Urban Resilience Expert
      Sep 2024 - Dec 2025 · 1 yr 4 mos

      Project: Urban Flood and Gully Erosion Risk Management Project in the Congo Basin (Global Center for Adaptation, via Global Factor). Countries: Burundi, Central African Republic, DRC, Gabon, Republic of the Congo. Support the GCA, World Bank task teams and governments in five Congo Basin countries to identify, prioritise and implement nature-based investments for urban resilience in selected towns and cities. This includes the identification, prioritisation, and prefeasibility of nature-based solutions for ravine stabilisation and urban flood mitigation, the development of a compendium of nature-based solutions; a cost-benefit analysis, pre-feasibility; and capacity building to government officials and communities.

    • Team Leader
      Sep 2024 - Jul 2025 · 11 mos

      Project: Adaptation Fund Concept Note for gender-transformative ecosystem-based adaptation for urban and riverine communities in the Hispanic Caribbean (UNEP via E Co Ltd). Countries: Cuba and the Dominican Republic Development of a regional concept note to the Adaptation Fund for a nature-based solutions project (ecosystem-based adaptation) with a gender lens in targeted cities and watersheds in these two countries, on behalf of the United Nations Environmental Programme (a scale up of a GCF-funded project).

  • Director of Operations for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) at Aninver Development Partners
    Aug 2025 - Dec 2025 · 5 mos

  • Principal Consultant - Cities and Resilient Development at DT Global
    Sep 2022 - Dec 2023 · 1 yr 4 mos

    Project: Financing and Implementing Nature-based Solutions in Urban Areas (FCDO). Role: Team Leader / Lead Author Description: Elaboration of a technical guide to assist project initiators to move NbS ideas into feasible proposals to access funding and facilitate project implementation. It includes key considerations to obtain climate finance for NbS towards urban resilience and climate mitigation, including benefits quantification, policy barriers and entry points, scale, costs, financial viability, risk assessment, operations & maintenance. Project: Concept Note for Climate Resilient Housing - Tuvalu (Green Climate Fund) Role: Resilient Housing Expert and Lead writer Description: Development of a concept note to the Green Climate Fund, on behalf of the Government of Tuvalu, to fund a climate-proof housing programme. Activities included in-country engagement, hazard, exposure, risk, and vulnerabilities analysis; project formulation, Theory of Change, beneficiary prioritisation; design of interventions, housing upgrading, land use planning, nature-based solutions, and capacity building; financial proposal, co-financing mechanisms, and sustainability strategy. Project: High Volume Transport programme (FCDO) Role: Research Project Manager and Technical Lead Description: Through a series of research grants, HVT provides a body of new research about the complex and interrelated issues of sustainable transport development across Africa and South Asia. Activities performed included technical assistance and support to researchers in India and Nigeria on Monitoring and Evaluation, performance indicators and output quality control, and dissemination activities.

  • Senior Consultant - Cities and Resilient Development at IMC Worldwide
    Apr 2019 - Sep 2022 · 3 yrs 6 mos

    Project: TA on Climate Resilient Urban Planning and Infrastructure Development under Cities and Infrastructure for Growth (CIG) Ghana Programme - Phases 1 and 2 (FCDO) Role: Contract Manager Description: The project included a scoping study and identification of a pilot city in year 1, and a diagnostic and prefeasibility study on urban flooding and nature-based climate adaptation in year 2. Responsibilities included coordination and revision of reports from delivery partners, project and contract management. Project: Global Platform on Resilient Infrastructure – Barbados Second Pilot (IFC) Role: Project Manager Description: Identification of a pipeline of private investment opportunities on climate-smart infrastructure in Barbados. Activities included engagement, defining existing climate vulnerabilities, resilience targets, critical infrastructure needs, conducting a project screening and prioritisation of infrastructure and green infrastructure projects and develop a shortlist of project briefs for energy and housing resilient projects Project: School Construction and Rehabilitation Programme in Pakistan (FCDO) Role: Project Management Consultant Support the final phases of a large programme that involved working in 1,400 schools across two provinces, implementing training to local contractors, engineers and staff on seismic-resilient buildings, and providing quality assurance.

  • WYG Group (Full-time · 1 yr)
    • Principal Urban Designer
      Apr 2018 - Mar 2019 · 1 yr

      Project: Brookfield garden village, Cheshunt (Broxbourne and Hertfordshire Council, UK) Masterplan for a new mixed-use suburban district around Turnford Brook in Hertfordshire, UK. It comprised 1,250 new homes, integrating nature-based solutions for flood resilience and climate change adaptation, retail and public facilities, urban agriculture, and new transport links.

    • Principal Urban Designer and Deputy Team Leader
      Apr 2018 - Mar 2019 · 1 yr

      Project: Kismayo Spatial Plan (Danish Refugee Council / DANIDA) Country: Somalia Formulation of a Spatial plan for the sustainable reconstruction of a Somali city with a vision and short-, medium-, and long-term goals. It included an analysis of vulnerabilities, migration and urbanisation patterns; population growth forecast and land needs assessment; formulation of a city masterplan and climate adaptation interventions; parameters for settlement planning, land use, and infrastructure provision; and strategies for informal settlement upgrading, self-build housing, urban farming, and green infrastructure.