Francisco Alaniz Uribe is an assistant professor at the University of Calgary and the codirector of the Urban Lab where he has conducted urban design research in Canada and Switzerland. He received his BSc in architecture from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico, and a Master in Urban Development Projects and a Master of Environmental Design from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City and the University of Calgary, respectively. In Mexico, he has worked as an architect, developer and urban designer and in Canada he is a Registered Professional Planner and has practiced as a planner and urban designer in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, in projects ranging from small-town planning to regional open space and recreation master plans.