Meet The Team
Board
Co-Founder Emeritus
Alejandro Lara Allende
Professor Alejandro Lara Allende, Green Star AP, PIA (Assoc.) is an urban scientist, planner, and co-founder of UP Global, with a strong focus on urban analytics and data-driven planning. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, where he also teaches urban and spatial analytics at graduate level.
Alejandro has published peer-reviewed research in indexed journals, including Elsevier publications by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT A+B, and regularly presents his work at international academic conferences such as the Architectural Science Association.
His research examines the relationships between urban form, resource flows, and environmental impacts, with an emphasis on life-cycle assessment and sustainable urban development.
He holds a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Melbourne, where his thesis on life-cycle emissions in “green” developments received the People’s Choice Award at the Three-Minute Thesis competition. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in Economics from Universidad Iberoamericana.
In parallel to his academic work, Alejandro brings over a decade of professional experience across the public and private sectors, including roles in economic research, international business, and infrastructure planning in Mexico, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
At UP Global, he leads the integration of research-based methodologies into planning and design practice, developing strategies that align environmental performance, urban systems, and long-term sustainability goals.
Co-Founder, Architect Urban Designer
Jorge Espinosa González
Professor Jorge Espinosa González, LEED Green Associate, Intl. Assoc. AIA is an architect, urban designer, and co-founder of UP Global, whose work engages the intersection of mobility, public space, and urban development across diverse international contexts.
His projects have been recognized in national and international biennales and reflect a commitment to rigorous, systems-based approaches to contemporary urban challenges.
Jorge holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University GSAPP in New York with miltuple project recognitions, as well as a Bachelor's in Architecture with highest grade of the class award by Universidad Iberoamericana, where he has served as a professor teaching and coordinating department lectures around digital methodologies for achitecture and urban systems.
With over a decade of experience, and more than 50,000 sq. meters built portfolio spanning Mexico, the United States, and Australia, his practice focuses on integration of infrastructure with ecological and social systems.
At UP Global, he leads the design and planning of complex urban projects, including mixed-use developments, public realm strategies, and transportation frameworks.
Jorge is also a founder and partner of Global Realty (realty-global.com), proudly exceeding few millions of USD in total closed sales since 2022.