Specialist in urban studies and land use planning, he has published a number of books and scientific articles on these topics. Trained at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (PhD in Geography) and at Johns Hopkins University (MA in International Affairs), he has been director of the Institute of Metropolitan Studies of Barcelona (1988-1999), Member of the Parliament of Catalonia (1999 -2004) and Secretary for Territorial Planning of the Government of Catalonia (2003-2011). He is currently professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a full member of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC).