Andrea Pimentel Rivera

Andrea Pimentel Rivera is a Researcher in the Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science at the University of Illinois. She holds an MA in Geography and MUP in Urban Planning (specializing in Transportation Planning) from UIUC, as well as a BA in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico. Her research focuses on critical transportation geographies, examining how colonialism and infrastructure shape mobility in Puerto Rico, particularly through the lens of privatization and neoliberal policies.

Her work analyzes transportation governance in Vieques, Puerto Rico, exploring tensions between state policies and community resistance. She is affiliated with the Society, Mobility and Infrastructure Lab and the Latin American and Caribbean Cities Collective. Recent publications include studies on artist-in-residence programs in transportation departments and ferry governance in colonial contexts. She actively contributes to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of mobility justice and postcolonial studies.