Anna Rubbo

Anna Rubbo is an architect, educator, and urbanist recognized for creating collaborations that connect universities, professionals, communities, and wider publics in pursuit of more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities. Her research and practice span architecture, urbanism, collaborative learning, and the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on participatory approaches to housing, informal settlements, and community development.

Rubbo holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Melbourne and a Doctor of Architecture from the University of Michigan. She joined CSUD in 2012 after a career as Associate Professor in the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney.

A member of the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers, Rubbo went on to found and lead Global Studio (2005–2012), an international action research initiative that developed more equitable collaborations between universities, professionals, and residents of informal settlements. The program engaged more than 600 students, academics, and practitioners from 66 universities in over 30 countries through conferences and field programs in Istanbul, Vancouver, Johannesburg, and Bhopal. Global Studio’s work was exhibited at the UN General Assembly, Customs House Sydney, and the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam. Sanitation improvements developed by WASSUP, a Global Studio initiated community organization, were featured in Design with the Other 90% at the Smithsonian Institution.

Building on this work, Rubbo led People Building Better Cities, a traveling exhibition presented in 18 cities across 10 countries, including the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum in Medellín and the Union of International Architects (UIA) Congress in Durban. She later launched the Local Project Challenge (LPC) at the CSUD Accelerating the SDGs in Cities Urban Thinkers Campus. Featuring 110 innovative community-based projects that advance local SDG implementation, LPC attracted more than 7,000 votes for its People’s Choice Award, presented at WUF10 in Abu Dhabi.

Rubbo’s engagement with the UIA has continued through a range of initiatives. She co-chaired the Resilient Communities track for the 2023 UIA World Congress in Copenhagen, where 65 peer-reviewed papers explored the theme Leave No One Behind: Sustainable Futures. Since 2022, she has served as a judge for the UIA–UN-Habitat 2030 Award, recognizing built projects that advance the SDGs. 

In 2025, she spearheaded the Local Learning Studio (LLS), an initiative showcasing 60+ teaching, learning, and research projects from 20+ countries that, through text and short films, localize the SDGs. Recognizing the importance of inclusive knowledge exchange and multilingual access, LLS asked Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic-speaking contributors to provide dual language submissions. An online Resource Hub supporting knowledge sharing across the built environment completes the project. In 2026, LLS was presented at the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku and the UIA Congress in Barcelona.

Rubbo’s publications, exhibitions, and films explore resilient communities, collaborative learning,  housing in developing countries, and women in architecture. Co-editor of Design for Resilient Communities and author of “They Don’t Listen: Urban Education, the Professions and the Urban Poor”, Rubbo has written extensively on architect Marion Mahony Griffin, curating the exhibition Marion Mahony Griffin: In Her Own Right at the Elmhurst History Museum in Chicago and authoring the 2025 Australian Dictionary of Biography entry on Mahony Griffin. A co-founder of Architectural Theory Review with Adrian Snodgrass, she serves on its Advisory Board and co-edited Volume 30, Issue 1 (2026).

A Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, Rubbo has received numerous honors, including the UIA Vassilis Sgoutas Prize Mention for humanitarian work in architectural education, the Neville Quarry Education Award, the US Skandalaris Award for Entrepreneurship in Design, and the Marion Mahony Griffin Prize. She serves on the boards of the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU) and Asia Initiatives (AI) and is a member of the Public Space Academy (PSA) Steering Committee.

Through her research, educational leadership, exhibitions, films, publications and international collaborations, Rubbo continues to foster community-centred approaches to architecture and urban development, creating partnerships and knowledge networks that connect diverse audiences and contribute to more resilient, equitable and sustainable cities.