Marcela González Rivas

Marcela González Rivas is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public & International Affairs, where she serves on the faculty advisory board of the Center for Latin American Studies. She is also a permanent member of the PWSA’s Low Income Assistance Advisory Committee and leads the Ford Institute’s “Closing the Water Gap” working group. Her research focuses on sustainable water policy, equity, and governance, particularly in Mexico and Latin America, examining how community development and policy shape water access inequalities. Recent work addresses water equity challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and Pittsburgh’s efforts toward sustainable water management.

Education includes a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.Sc. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of the Americas in Mexico.

Her research interests span water governance, sustainable development, regional inequality, and the human right to water. She explores how policy and planning can mitigate water access disparities, with recent emphasis on pandemic responses and transnational water equity dynamics.

Her articles analyze water equity in U.S. cities, community water systems (e.g., AguaClara), and the impacts of public vs. private water management models. She also emphasizes experiential learning in policy education through international workshops in Mexico and Colombia.

Marcela advises students through courses like “Policy and Planning in Developing Countries” and leads a transnational policy workshop. She contributes to public discourse via op-eds on water equity and sustainable urban development.