Catalina Freixas

Catalina Freixas has been a dedicated member of the Washington University in St. Louis faculty since 2004, contributing extensively to urban humanities research and practice with a focus on neighborhood resiliency in St. Louis. 

“Dr. Freixas has chosen to work in some of St. Louis most challenging neighborhoods,” said Mark Trannel, a WashU guest lecturer who nominated Freixas. “This work has demonstrated a range of skills beyond the credentials typically ascribed to a faculty member — she has navigated complex public agencies, built coalitions of neighborhood organizations, and written a number of grants that were funded.”

Her innovative research employs “Wraparound Theory” as an intellectual framework to address neighborhood challenges through community-engaged solutions. Freixas’s current work in the KingsVille community, a highly distressed area in North St. Louis, is undertaken in partnership with the St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO) and St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). This pilot project serves as a foundational step toward creating scalable, interventionist methodologies for urban revitalization.

Freixas’ research explores resilience characteristics as integrated processes and systems, grounded in a triple-bottom-line assessment that considers social, environmental, and economic factors. Her long-term goal is to develop quantitative eco-urbanism strategies to foster resilient communities across diverse urban contexts. She has also conducted impactful work on urban racial residential segregation, culminating in “Segregation by Design: Conversations and Calls for Action in St. Louis (2019)”, which generated critical insights and mitigation strategies. In her teaching, Freixas integrates her research on resilient design, biomimicry, and eco-urbanism into studios and seminars, leaving a lasting impact on students in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Biomimicry, a practice that draws inspiration from nature’s solutions to address human challenges, has been central to her approach to sustainable design. As a member of the Bio-Inspired Community and a Think Tank advisor, Freixas bridges academic research and practical applications in innovative ways.

Freixas has shared her work at national and international conferences and in numerous peer-reviewed publications. Supported by multiple grants, her research has not only advanced the field of urban resiliency but has also helped her collaborators secure funding to further their shared goals. Freixas’ work exemplifies a deep commitment to community-engaged research, innovative teaching, and fostering sustainable, equitable urban environments.

“The fact that she has sustained this community engagement over more than 10 years is evidence of her commitment to representing Washington University in the St. Louis community,” Trannel said.