Jéssica Lucena

Jéssica Lucena is an architect and urban planner with a master’s degree in Urban Development from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and is currently a PhD candidate in Transportation Systems at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. Her research focuses on walkability, child-friendly urban mobility, and road safety, with a particular interest in travel behaviour.

She has experience in sustainable urban mobility, having worked in the public sector on strategic urban planning, road safety initiatives, and community engagement processes. She has led projects involving participatory methodologies with children, street redesign, and urban interventions to create safer and more inclusive cities. In addition, she has been involved in applied research on micromobility, road safety, and cycling logistics.

Jéssica has also contributed to national research efforts on cycling and pedestrian mobility in Brazil, taking part in studies that mapped urban mobility behaviors and challenges. Beyond academia, she is an activist for urban causes, particularly advocating for active mobility and inclusive public spaces.