Recognized in the National System of Researchers (SNII) in Area Social Sciences
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Research
• Territorial theory in Latin America• Political economy of Latin American urbanization
• Uneven territorial development in Latin America
• Conflicts in Latin American cities
• Urban social movements in the ZMVM
Profile
Dr. Emilio Pradilla Cobos earned his degree in Architecture from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (1964); completed a Doctorate in Advanced Development Techniques [III Cycle] (1968) at IEDES, Université de Paris I (Panthéon–Sorbonne), France; and received both a Master's degree in Architecture (1983) and a Doctorate in Urbanism (1993) from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
He served as Senior Full Professor (Profesor Titular C) in the Division of Sciences and Arts for Design at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, where he began his academic career in 1977. Over the course of his tenure at UAM-X, he held several key administrative roles, including Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Social Sciences within the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities (1991–1995); Director of the Division of Sciences and Arts for Design (1995–1998); Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Sciences and Arts for Design (2002–2003); and Head of the Research and Territorial Management Concentration within the Graduate Program in Sciences and Arts for Design.
Throughout his academic career, he published 24 books and 145 articles and book chapters, and delivered 330 keynote lectures on urban issues across 20 countries in Europe and Latin America.
Among his published books are La ciudad incluyente. Un proyecto democrático para el Distrito Federal (co-authored with Demetrio Sodi de la Tijera), Océano, 2006; Los territorios del neoliberalismo en América Latina, Editorial Miguel Ángel Porrúa and UAM-X, 2009; as compiler, Ciudades compactas, dispersas, fragmentadas, Editorial Miguel Ángel Porrúa and UAM-X, 2011; Teorías sobre la ciudad en América Latina (co-authored with Blanca R. Ramírez Velázquez), UAM, 2013; and Teorías y políticas territoriales (co-authored with Blanca R. Ramírez Velázquez), UAM, 2013. He also edited the volumes Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México. Cambios demográficos, económicos y territoriales (2016); Zona metropolitana del Valle de México. Cambios socio-territoriales (2016); Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México. Las políticas urbanas metropolitanas (2016); and Grandes metrópolis de América Latina. Buenos Aires, Río de Janeiro, São Paulo y Valle de México (2017), all published by UAM.
He was a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) of CONACYT, holding rankings as National Researcher Level 1 (1985–1988 and 1990–2002), Level 2 (2002–2010), and Level 3 (2010–2025). Additionally, he was an active member of scholarly networks including the National Urban Research Network in Mexico, the Ibero-American Network of Researchers on Globalization and Territory, and the Latin American Network of Researchers on Urban Theory.