Rivera examines informal processes and post-colonial views of planning and design. These professional and theoretical inquiries frequently draw her to study community organizing, environmental justice, and social movements. Rivera’s current work examines low-income Latino/a communities, primarily Mexican-American and Puerto Rican communities, studying how their histories of informal planning subvert common narratives within planning theory. Rivera holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan, a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University.
