Joan MacDonald facts for kids

Joan MacDonald (born Elizabeth Joan Mac Donald Maier in 1941) is a Chilean architect. She is famous for her important work on housing and city planning. She helped shape how people live in cities and homes in Chile and other countries.

From 1990 to 1994, Joan MacDonald was the Deputy Minister of Housing and Urbanism in Chile. This means she was a high-ranking official helping to make decisions about homes and cities for the whole country. Later, in 1997, she became the director of the Metropolitan Service of Housing and Urbanisation. This role focused on housing and city development in a specific large city area.

Helping Cities Grow Better

In 1995, Joan MacDonald started working as a consultant for a group called CEPAL. She helped them with "sustainable settlements" until 2005. Sustainable settlements are about building and managing towns and cities in a way that is good for people and the environment, both now and in the future.

Leading the Way in Housing

From 2003 to 2014, she was the president of an organization called SELAVIP. This group worked to provide simple, affordable homes for many people in developing countries. They helped communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia get better housing.

Her Education and Awards

Joan MacDonald studied to become an architect at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. This is a well-known university in Chile.

In 2011, she received a very special honor called Doctor Honoris Causa from the Universidad Católica de Cordoba in Argentina. This award is given to people who have made outstanding contributions to their field, even if they didn't earn a doctorate degree there. It's like a special honorary doctorate.

Also in 2011, she received a prize for her amazing work in academics from the Chilean Chartered Institute of Architects. This award recognized her long and important career in teaching and research related to architecture and urban planning.

See also

In Spanish: Joan MacDonald para niños