Nicolás Galarza Sánchez holds a B.A on International Relations from Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá and a Masters of Urban Planning from NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Mr. Galarza Sánchez was a Research Scholar in the Urban Expansion program of the NYU Marron Institute, where he worked with the laureate Economy Nobel Prize, Professor Paul Romer, and the recognized urban planner Shlomo Angel. At NYU, he led various projects in different cities of the region, promoting orderly urban expansion. Galarza has co-authored different publications, including the Urban Expansion Atlas 2016 Edition and the Urban Expansion Atlas of Colombia. Prior to the Marron Institute, Nicolás was an advisor of the High Presidential Counselor for Social Action and Director of the Strategy for Overcoming Extreme Poverty. From 2019 to 2020, Nicolás served as Director of Urban Development at the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, and was subsequently appointed as Viceminister for the Environment and Territorial Planning at the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, between October 2022 to August 2022.