Costanza is an Architect, urban designer and Urban Planner with extensive international research and practice experience.  She holds a Master of Architecture & Planning, a Master in Regional Planning and Sustainable Development, and PhD in urban and regional planning.

Her professional practice and scholarly research focuses on urban resilience, participatory planning and innovative urban governance systems.  She has been a key contributor to a number of participatory design and research projects, and developed key policy for various government entities, NGOs, and International Organizations, including the Rwanda National Urbanisation Policy, the National Urban Informal Settlements Upgrading & Implementation Programme of Rwanda, the Rwandan Urban Planning Code, and the National Upgrading Support Programme for the Department of Human Settlements in South Africa.  For UN-Habitat, she co-led the Future Saudi Cities Program (FSCP - Outcome 2: Urban Planning & Design), performing rapid diagnostic and developing ad-hoc City Profiles (spatial analysis and strategic planning) for 17 Saudi cities, applying the results to urban policy inputs for the National Planning System Reform, and to three Demonstration Projects (feasibility studies for city-specific flagship projects) showcasing the operationalization of key urban strategies in different contextual urban settings. 

Most recently, she has been again consulting for UN-Habitat, first as a Senior Urban Planner and Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing, supporting the revisions of several Saudi cities and regions strategic plans and local plans, advising on structural planning reforms and on a large number of urban development issues; and lately as Technical Advisor to the Central Arryiadh Development Company (CADC), leading the elaboration of the socio-economic strategy for the urban regeneration of Central Riyadh with a focus  on the housing policies and regulations needed to grant affordability and social inclusion to the regeneration process. Her cross-sector experience in private practice, public policy, and research allows her to apply her skills on a wide range of complex urban and regional planning-related issues and confidently interact with diverse disciplines.