Maria Spiliotopoulou recently graduated with a Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University's School of Resource and Environmental Management, where she is a Researcher with SFU's Centre for Sustainable Development, and an instructor in the Sustainable Development Program.
Maria obtained her MA in Environmental Law and two diplomas in Environmental Pollution and in European Studies from the University of Strasbourg, France, and her BA in International and European Studies from Panteion University of Political Science in Athens, Greece. She has worked as an environmental consultant in Europe; her work experience ranges from NGO-corporate partnerships to environmental studies and law consultancy.
Maria’s doctoral research focused on the concept and metrics of urban productivity as an alternative way to advance sustainable community development (SCD) theory and practice. With an increasing population clustered in cities, urban areas need to make efficient and even regenerative use of their resources while achieving maximum social, economic and ecological productivity. Her research explores the potential of productive or regenerative urban sustainability for SCD planning and assessment, and aims to offer SCD well-grounded theoretical foundations, coupled with real-world application and assessment tools that will motivate and assist communities toward sustainability and prosperity.
Recent publications:
Spiliotopoulou, M., & Roseland, M. (forthcoming). Sustainable Community Development through the conceptual lens of community productivity. In Phillips, R. (Ed), The Research Handbook on Community Development, Edward Elgar Publishing.
Spiliotopoulou, M., & Roseland, M. (forthcoming). Making the SDGs Relevant for Cities: Using the Community Capital Tool in British Columbia. In King, L. O., & Iyer, S. (Eds), Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals in North American Cities: Best Practices in Community Planning and Performance Measurement, Springer.
Spiliotopoulou, M., & Roseland, M. (forthcoming). Achieving community happiness and well-being through community productivity. In Cloutier, S. (Ed), Linking Sustainability and Happiness: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives, Springer Natu
Roseland, M., & Spiliotopoulou, M. (2018). Sustainability in North America: the Canadian experience. In Brinkmann, R., & Garren, S. (Eds), The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability: Case studies and practical solutions (pages 635-652). Palgrave Macmillan.
Roseland, M., & Spiliotopoulou, M. (2017). Sustainable Community Planning and Development. In Abraham, M. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies. Elsevier.
Roseland, M., & Spiliotopoulou, M. (2016). Converging urban agendas: Toward healthy and sustainable communities. Social Sciences, 5(3), 28.
Contact
LinkedIn: Maria Spiliotopoulou