Matilde

Matilde Lopez, Ph.D., is a career coach and researcher with a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology and a Master’s in Urban Planning.

Based in Barcelona since 2019, Matilde runs two popular columns on Urban Life Today:

Cityscapes: Exploring the urban experience dives into the psychological impacts of city living and offers advice for thriving in metropolitan areas.

Rooted Roaming: How to feel at home everywhere addresses the challenges and joys of balancing deep-rooted traditions with the desire to explore new places.

Matilde is currently offering personalized coaching sessions both in-person and online, focusing on stress reduction, work-life balance, and strategies for navigating complex urban environments.

For the past decade, she has worked alongside Dr. Sofia Martinez, an expert in environmental science from the University of Barcelona. Together, they investigate how sustainable practices can be integrated into daily life to enhance well-being and reduce ecological footprints.

Their collaborative research culminated in Matilde's book, "Urban Harmony: Integrating Nature into City Living" (Barcelona Press, 2023), which explores how nature and urban spaces can coexist harmoniously.

Matilde takes a unique approach to understanding human behavior by examining the interaction between individuals and their built environment. She argues that this perspective provides deeper insights into motivation than traditional models used in psychology. Her work emphasizes the importance of creating green spaces within cities to promote mental health and social cohesion.

Editor-in-chief of Urban Life Today, Luisa Fernandez, describes Matilde's work as “a breath of fresh air for anyone interested in the future of our cities.” Matilde enjoys finding new terms to describe the phenomena of urban life and has introduced hundreds of innovative expressions into the discourse. Before her association with Urban Life Today, Matilde maintained a blog called The Urban Dictionary: Decoding the Language of Cities.

Her philosophy is rooted in practical optimism: acknowledging the complexities of urban living while seeking creative solutions through community engagement and playful problem-solving. Urban living presents constant challenges, but Matilde believes that with the right mindset, we can find joy in the unpredictability.

Matilde began her career as an advocate for sustainable urban development. While she has published numerous academic articles, her main goal is to make sophisticated concepts accessible and engaging for everyone.

She has advised municipal governments on sustainability, consulted with tech startups on eco-friendly office design, led public workshops on permaculture, managed projects for a non-profit focused on renewable energy, and volunteered as a mentor for young entrepreneurs in Spain. On Instagram, she shares bite-sized wisdom under the handle “@MatildeInCities” and produces educational content for her TikTok channel “Living Green in Urban Spaces.”

Matilde has two adult children and enjoys leading walking tours of Barcelona's hidden gardens and green rooftops.