Dr Carlos Tapia is specialised in the application of quantitative research methods and statistical learning tools for sustainable and inclusive territorial development. His research interests range from the exploration of territorial inequalities, social vulnerability and regional economic resilience, to the analysis of local innovation processes and the sustainability shifts driven by green and circular transformations.
Academic qualifications
PhD in Geography, University of the Basque Country
Languages
Spanish
English
Italian
Prior positions
2010-2020: Researcher at Tecnalia (Spain)
2007-2009: Consultant in land information systems at Geotech, SL (Spain).
2005-2006: Data analyst at the Ministry of Finance of Italy, Rome (Italy)
2003-2005: Post-doctoral Researcher at the Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare (Italy)
Publications:
Peer-reviewed publications
Bianchi, M., del Valle, I., Tapia, C. (2021) Material productivity, socioeconomic drivers and economic structures: A panel study for European regions, Ecological Economics, Volume 183.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921800921000069?dgcid=coauthor
Tapia, C., Bianchi, M., Pallaske, G., & Bassi, A. M. (2021). Towards a territorial definition of a circular economy: exploring the role of territorial factors in closed-loop systems. European Planning Studies, 1-20.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/09654313.2020.1867511?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Bassi, A. M., Bianchi, M., Guzzetti, M., Pallaske, G., & Tapia, C. (2020). Improving the understanding of Circular Economy potential at territorial level using Systems Thinking. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 128-140.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550920313683?via%3Dihub
Bianchi, M., del Valle, I., & Tapia, C. (2020). Measuring eco-efficiency in European regions: Evidence from a territorial perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 276, 123246.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652620332911?via%3Dihub
Bianchi, M., Tapia, C., & del Valle, I. (2020). Monitoring domestic material consumption at lower territorial levels: A novel data downscaling method. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 24(5), 1074-1087.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.13000
Mazzanti, M., Tapia, C., & Pegoraro, A. (2020). Innovative local policy instruments enabling sustainable innovation: benchmarking worldwide best practices. Argomenti, (16), 101-131.
http://ojs.uniurb.it/index.php/argomenti/article/view/2138
Carlos Tapia‘s spatial story
When thinking about my past professional trajectory as a geographer, I always remember myself as a first-grade student of physics in the middle of an existential crisis. Should I really become a physicist? Was the prospect of working on a technical or technological field appealing enough to me? Was that the kind of life I really wanted?
Not only these questions were complicated to answer, but their implications were also quite tricky. Because, if I was to answer no to any of them, well, what was then the alternative? What field should I pick? At the time, I did not have any specific preference for natural or social sciences, not even for humanities or technical disciplines. I was simply curious and interested on the things that were going on around me in a rapidly changing world: the development crisis caused by decolonization and the cold war, the demographic and urban explosions, the climate and environmental crises, the rise of globalization, internet and the technological revolution…
What discipline could possibly allow me to dig into these problems with an inclusive and integrated perspective? Which discipline could have developed a method to systematically address challenges with a broad lenses, avoiding silos and partial views on such complex and multidimensional matters? Well, this is how Geography came in the scene to rescue me. I was lucky enough to find a brand new undergraduate program on Geography launched in the University of the Basque Country, close to my born city of Bilbao.
Related Research Projects
-
Ongoing
- ESPON TERRES
- Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)
- Giving Rural Actors Novel data and re-Useable tools to Lead public Action in Rural areas (GRANULAR)
- Electric aviation and the effects on the Nordic regions
- Not Just a Green Transition (NJUST) – Examining the path towards a socially just green transition in the Nordic Region
-
Finished
- Territorial Just Transition Plans for Gotland and Norrbotten
- Covid-19 Economic Impacts in the Northern Periphery and Arctic region
- Integrating climate into macroeconomic modelling (ICMM)
- Nordic-Baltic 5G Monitoring tool
Related Publications
- Klimatomställningen och relationen stad och land
- State of the Nordic Region 2022
- Just Green Transition – key concepts and implications in the Nordic Region
- What impact do climate change policies have on Nordic economies, industries, and households?
- Embracing the just green transition on the Nordic labour market
- Economic Policy beyond the Pandemic in the Nordic countries
- State of the Nordic Region 2024
- Geographies of discontent in the Nordic Region
- Moving together or drifting apart?
- Nordic Toolbox for a Just Green Transition
Related News
- Challenges turned into advantages: the story of remote communities during COVID-19
- New tool measures impact of gardening on urban sustainability
- Just Green Transition in the Nordics: analysis of three Swedish regions
- Nordregio contributes to Swedish green transition plans that unlock almost 3 billion SEK in EU funding
- Better knowledge for better rural policies – GRANULAR defines its next steps
- Zooming in on Gen Z: What’s next for the Nordic Region?
- Housing market insights with an innovative approach
- How will climate policies hit Nordic wallets and welfare in the future?
- Nordic geographies of discontent – what are the drivers?
- New toolbox identifies six crucial areas for a just green transition
