Expertise & Research / Professional Interests

Retail development & commercial urbanism;

Non-motorized sustainable transportation planning;

Culture & sports mega-events planning;

Urban revitalization & metropolitan governance;

Sustainable urbanism & waterfront planning;

Planning pedagogy & scholarship of teaching;

Urban history;

International development planning.

Personal Profile

Carlos J. L. Balsas, Ph.D., AICP is a Lecturer in Planning at the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment at Ulster University. Carlos Balsas is an urban and regional planner trained in Europe and the U.S. with graduate degrees (MRP and PhD) in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a licentiate degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Carlos Balsas has worked in multiple professional capacities in urban revitalization and resilience, urban governance, non-motorized transportation planning, mega-event development, city and culture, and international planning in Portugal, Massachusetts, California, Arizona, and New York. He has published books on commercial urbanism, sustainable urbanism, walkability, and city centre revitalization. Prior to his appointment at the University at Albany, SUNY Carlos Balsas was an assistant professor at Arizona State University, Tempe campus. His teaching portfolio includes a whole array of undergraduate and graduate courses in urban and regional planning, planning theory and ethics, urban design, planning studios, metropolitan governance, sustainable transportation planning, digital communities and urban development, study abroad, plan implementation, community development, bicycle and pedestrian planning, and global urbanism and culture. Carlos Balsas has chaired and or served on Masters and PhD advisory committees and performed professional service in the U.S., Brazil, and Portugal. Several of his advanced planning studios and report-directed courses have won professional planning awards in Arizona and New York.

Published Work

BOOKS

Balsas, C. (2020) Urbanismo Sustentável – História, Conhecimento Económico-Ambiental, e Prática Profissional. Curitiba: Editora CRV, 260 pp (Portuguese).
Balsas, C. (2020) Urbanismo Sustentável – Medidas para uma ‘Política de Ciclismo Urbano’. Curitiba: Editora CRV, 206 pp (Portuguese).
Balsas, C. (2019) Urbanismo Comercial Revitalização, Parcerias e Gestão Urbana - revised & augmented edition, Curitiba: Editora CRV, 201 pp (Portuguese).
Balsas, C. (2019) Walkable Cities – Revitalization, Vibrancy and Sustainable Consumption. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 240 pp. [Society for the Study of Social Problems Global Division SSSP_GD Outstanding Book Award (co-winner); (ii) Independent Publisher IP Outstanding Book Award – Gold Medal Transportation Category]
Balsas, C. (2002) Commercial Urbanism and Public-Private Partnerships – Lessons Learned from Foreign Experiences. Lisbon: Gabinete de Estudos e Prospectiva Económica - GEPE Press, 163 pp (Portuguese).
Balsas, C. (2001) (Ed.) Commercial Urbanism in Portugal – The Need for a New Urban Management Approach. Lisbon: Núcleos Urbanos de Pesquisa e Investigação – URBE Press, 62 pp., (portuguese and english).
Balsas, C. (1999) Commercial Urbanism in Portugal – Implications for City Center Revitalization. Lisbon: Gabinete de Estudos e Prospectiva Económica - GEPE Press, 179 pp (Portuguese).

BOOK CHAPTERS (2010 - )

Balsas, C. (2024) The Ibero-American and Lusophone geospatial tradition: The creation of a legacy in Latin America and Asia. In: PHI Creation, Transformation, and Metamorphosis. London: CRC Press.
Balsas, C. (2020) Downtown revitalization, livability and quality of life in Tucson, Arizona (pp. 319–335). In: Phillips, R., Trevan, E. and Kraeger, P. (Eds.) Research Handbook on Community Development. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Balsas, C. (2019) Revaluing saltscapes in Portugal: Ecotourism, ecomuseums and environmental education (pp. 31–57). In: Batabyal, D. and Das, D. (Eds.) Global Trends, Practices, and Challenges in Contemporary Tourism and Hospitality Management. Hershey: Engineering Science Reference.
Balsas, C. (2018) Entrepreneurial Urban Revitalization (pp. 329–340). In: Cubico, S., Favretto, G., Leitão, J. and Cantner, U. (Eds.) Entrepreneurship and the Industry Life Cycle - The Changing Role of Human Capital and Competences. Cham: Springer.
Balsas, C. (2018) A novel approach to studying cultural landscapes at the watershed level (pp. 221–248). In: Rosa, I., Lopes, J., Ribeiro, R. and Mendes, A. (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Methods and Tools for Assessing Cultural Landscape Adaptation. Hershey: Engineering Science Reference.
Balsas, C. (2017) Revitalizing Phoenix’s inner-ring suburbs (pp. 115–169). In: Wolfe, M. (Ed.) Urban Planning and Renewal. Hauppauge: Nova Science Publishers.
Balsas, C. (2017) Entendiendo las enseñanzas de Shibuya (pp. 119–135). In: Gasca, J. and Olivera, P. (Eds.) Ciudad, Comércio Urbano y Consumo – Experiencias Desde Latino América y Europa. Mexico City: UNAM Press, (in spanish).
Balsas, C. (2017) Lemons into Lemonade: Materializing Utopian Planning in Providence, Rhode Island (RI), (pp.141-150). In: Monteiro, M., Kong, M., & Neto, M. (Eds.) PHI Utopia(s) – Worlds and Frontiers of the Imaginary. London: CRC Press.
Balsas, C. (2016) Soccer in North-America, the Planning Implications of an Edge Sports Complex in Scottsdale, Arizona (pp.151-174). In: V. FletcherFletcher, V. (Ed.) Urban and Rural Developments: Perspectives, Strategies and Challenges. Hauppauge: Nova Science Publishers.
Balsas, C. (2015) The blind man and the city, community design, identity and professional praxis (pp. 98–109). In: Kong, M., Nunes, J., Quintas, M., Monteiro, M., Pimentel, M., Neto, M., Januário, P. (Eds.) Proportion (dis)Harmonies and Identities. Lisbon: Archi&book’s.
Balsas, C. (2012) Sustainable development in Portugal: An analysis of Lisbon and Porto (pp.633-651). Vojnovic, I. – Ed. Building Sustainable Communities: A Global Urban Perspective. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
Balsas, C. (2011) Revitalizing downtown Tempe (pp. 317–332). Salgueiro, T. and Cachinho, H. (Eds.) Retail Planning for the Resilient City. Lisbon: Edições Colibri.

JOURNAL ARTICLES (2010 - )

Balsas, C. (2024) Waterfront Transformations, Fishing Structures, and Sustainable Tourism. Sustainability, 16, 6313. doi:10.3390/su16156313

Balsas, C. (2024) Urban Revitalization in Small Cities across the Atlantic Ocean. Sustainability, 16(2): 639 doi:10.3390/su16020639.

Balsas, C. (2024) From granary to arts incubator: An evolutionary perspective on the concept of Food for Thought. World, 5(1), 1-21. doi:10.3390/world5010001.

Balsas, C. (2023) Resiliência urbana: Boas práticas e consumo sustentável [Urban resilience: Best practices and sustainable consumption]. Portuguese Studies Review, 32(1): 355-373 (pt)

Balsas, C. (2023) Global (Sustainable) Commercial Urbanism and Culture. Global Journal of Cultural Studies, 2: 196–204. doi:10.6000/2817-2310.2023.02.15

Balsas, C. (2023) Enthralling Prefigurative Urban and Regional Planning Forward. Land. 12, 1973. doi: 10.3390/land12111973.

Balsas, C. (2023) Paisagem Carioca em Transformação - Pão e carnaval no Porto Maravilha do Rio de Janeiro [Carioca Landscape in Transformation - Bread and carnaval in Rio de Janeiro’s Porto Maravilha]. TRANSLOCAL - Culturas Contemporâneas Locais e Urbanas, 7: 1-9.
Balsas, C. (2023) Improving land-use based urbanism through award winning planning practice and scholarship: A North American case study. Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 5: 275–291 doi:10.1007/s42532-023-00161-x.
Balsas, C. (2023) Expanding the legal common good via sustainable urban mobility. Journal of Place Management and Development, doi:10.1108/JPMD-08-2022-0069.
Balsas, C. (2023) The greenway planning movement in the Iberian Peninsula: A tribute. Landscape Ecology, 38: 3329–3334. doi:10.1007/s10980-022-01579-6.
Balsas, C. (2022) From Place-Marketing to Place-Making, Examining Boston’s Case of Global Transformation. Local Development & Society, 3(2): 166–186. doi:10.1080/26883597.2021.1930575.
Balsas, C. (2022) Qualitative planning philosophy and the governance of urban revitalization, a plea for cultural diversity. Urban Governance, 2(2): 247-258 doi:10.1016/j.ugj.2022.09.003.
Balsas, C. (2022) Reconsidering Industrial Policy in Eastern New York, U.S.A. Urban Research and Practice, 15(4): 505–528. doi:10.1080/17535069.2020.1860255.
Balsas, C. (2022) U.S. Urban and Regional Planning history, theory and partnerships for a new century. Journal of Urban Regeneration & Renewal, 15(4): 1-14.
Balsas, C. (2022) Community Responsible Innovation in Portugal: Building the country’s competitive advantages. International Journal of Regional and Local History, 17(1): 39– 58. doi:10.1080/20514530.2022.2058207.
Balsas, C. (2022) Retaining social and cultural sustainability in the Hudson River watershed of New York, U.S.A. Journal of Place Management and Development, 15(3): 336–356. doi:10.1108/JPMD-01-2021-0002.
Balsas, C. (2022) Sustainable Urbanism: An evolving field of scholarship and professional practice. Urban Design and Planning, doi:10.1680/jurdp.21.00036.
Balsas, C. (2022) Historical and conceptual perspectives on urban regeneration: A prolog to a special Issue. Journal of Place Management and Development, 15(1): 1–19. doi:10.1108/JPMD-04-2021-0045.
Balsas, C. (2021) Creative and Sustainable Town-Gown a Place Triad Genius Loci. Environment, Space and Place, 13(2): 76–92.
Balsas, C. (2021) Sustainable Urbanism: Riverfront greenway planning from tradition to innovation. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, doi:10.1080/13511610.2021.1920001.
Balsas, C. (2021) GIS Buildout Analysis and Urban Planning. Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies, 9(1): 2150006. doi:10.1142/S2345748121500068.
Balsas, C. (2021) Exciting walk-only precincts in Asia, Europe and North-America. Cities - The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning, 112(May): 103129.Balsas, C. (2020) The reinvention of indoor walking for sustainable non-motorized active living in winter cities. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 31(5): 626–641, doi:10.1080/10911359.2020.1803171.
Balsas, C. (2020) Study of Porto’s polycentric metropolitan development and governance at the turn of the millennium. International Journal of Regional and Local History, 15(2): 131–145. doi:10.1080/20514530.2020.1835060.
Balsas, C. (2020) An extended urban history review of Macao and Hong Kong through the end of the 20th century. Revista de Cultura/Review of Culture, 63: 30–39.
Balsas, C. (2020) The crisis of successful places, Shibuya’s case. International Journal of Crisis Communication, 4(1): 1–10. doi:10.31907/2617-121X.2020.04.01.1.
Balsas, C. (2020) Paolo Soleri and America’s third utopia: The sustainable city-region. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 13(4): 410–430. doi:10.1080/17549175.2020.1726798.
Balsas, C. (2019) Clone and multiply!? A plea for mature gaming and resort destinations. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(21): 2631–2636. doi:10.1080/13683500.2019.1696757.
Balsas, C. (2019) O português sou eu! Reflections on a Career Path (thus Far). Portuguese Studies Review, 27(2): 277–295.
Balsas, C. (2019) Redesigning the downtown of an expansive sunbelt city: The Phoenix case. Planning Practice and Research, 35(1): 107–125, doi:10.1080/02697459.2019.1679699.
Balsas, C. (2019) A collaborative geophilosophical perspective on creative territories: The Massachusetts-New York case. Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia, 75(4): 2537–2566. doi: 10.17990/RPF/2019_75_4_0000.
Balsas, C. (2019) The role of public markets in urban habitability and competitiveness. Journal of Place Management and Development, 13(1): 30–46, DOI 10.1108/JPMD-05-2019-0033.
Barros, C. and Balsas, C. (2019) Luanda’s slums: An overview based on poverty and gentrification. Urban Development Issues, 64: 29–38; doi:10.2478/udi-2019-0021.
Balsas, C. (2019) Progress and ‘acts of god’ in the age of climate change virility. International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 18(2): 107-125.
Balsas, C. (2018) The music world in Phoenix: Insights from a cultural planning study where the lights are darkest and the sounds mute! Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia, 74(4): 1507–1526.
Balsas, C. (2018) Tracing the History of Japanese Commerce and Consumption from the Genki to the Heisei Era. Consumption Markets & Culture, 22(3): 297–305 DOI:10.1080/ 10253866.2018.1534102.
Balsas, C. (2018) Fishing, Food and Harbor Community Development in Massachusetts. Journal of Public Affairs, 19(3): e1865. DOI:10.1002/pa.1865.
Balsas, C. (2018) Politico-Architectonic Philosophy as Place Building in Albany, New York, U.S.A. Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia, 74(2–3): 365–396.
Balsas, C., Swingruber, A., and Lin, Y. (2018) Evaluating local workforce development programs in Upstate New York, U.S.A. Local Economy, 33(4): 349–366. Doi:10.1177/0269094218777805.
Balsas, C. (2018) Country marketing and planning implications of the European Soccer Championship EURO 2004. Journal of Urban Technology, 25(3): 29–46.
Balsas, C. (2018) Sustainable urbanism in temperate-arid climates: Models, challenges and opportunities for the Anthropocene. Journal of Public Affairs, 18(4) DOI:10.1002/pa.1663.
Balsas, C. (2018) A reflection on how we value our research (impacts) Journal of Health and Medical Informatics, 9(1): 300. doi:10.4172/2157-7420.1000300.
Balsas, C. (2017) The right to walk in cities, a comparative review of Macau, Lisbon and Las Vegas. International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, 9(2): 123–142.
Balsas, C. (2017) Retail Planning in Japan, Implications for City Centers. Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, 10(4): 357–368.
Balsas, C. (2017) Urbanismo comercial en ciudades Ibéricas, tradición y urbanidad sin precedentes, Ciudades, 113: 11-18.
Balsas, C. (2017) The world in the Americas – a reflection on the 2016 World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Planning Theory and Practice, 18(2): 322-327.
Balsas, C. (2017) Where the rubber meets the road: Walking, riding, and driving or walking, walking, walking for our health. Journal of Transport and Health, 5: 182-188.
Balsas, C. (2017) Blending individual tenacity with government’s responsibility in the implementation of US non-motorized transportation planning (NMT). Planning Practice & Research, 32(2): 197-211.
Balsas, C. (2017) Commercial urbanism in Phoenix, AZ: a study of four commercial formats in Arizona. urbe. Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana, 9(1): 83-95 (Portuguese).
Balsas, C. (2016) Mediterranean saltscapes: The need to enhance fragile ecological and cultural resources in Portugal. ZARCH Journal of interdisciplinary studies in Architecture and Urbanism, 7: 133-160.
Balsas, C. (2016) Japanese shopping arcades, pinpointing vivacity amidst obsolescence. Town Planning Review, 87(2): 205-232.
Balsas, C. (2016) Finding, preserving and augmenting livable city places. ZARCH Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, 5: 277–278.
Balsas, C. (2015) Comércio, revitalização urbana e sustentabilidade: Ensinamentos a experiência Japonesa. Finisterra – Revista Portuguesa de Geografia, 99: 81-100.
Balsas, C. (2015) Sustainable transportation planning, the evolution and impact of a new academic specialization in the USA. International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, 4(1): 1-16.
Balsas, C. (2014) Walking and urban vibrancy, an international review of commercial pedestrian precincts. Cidades, 11(18): 230-260.
Balsas, C. (2014) Downtown resilience: A review of recent (re)developments in Tempe, Arizona. Cities, 36: 158–169.
Balsas, C. (2013) Gaming anyone? A comparative study of recent trends in urban development in Las Vegas and Macau. Cities, 31: 298-307.
Balsas, C. (2012) What about plan evaluation? Integrating evaluation in planning studio’s pedagogy. Planning Practice and Research, 27(4): 475–494.

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