Paula Teles was born in Alvarenga, Arouca, May 16, 1969.
Civil Engineer – in the field of Planning (FEUP) –, post-graduated in Strategies and Methodologies for Urban Management, with a master’s degree on Urban Planning and Environmental Design by the Engineering and Architecture departments at the University of Porto, and a thesis on “Social Territories of Mobility.”
For 10 years she worked as a municipal technician in the Municipality of Matosinhos with functions in Traffic and Mobility Division.
Between 1994 and 1996, she was included in the team of the European project PROACESS (1994-1996).
In 2004, she founded mpt ®, an Urban Planning and Mobility Management Company, pioneer in Portugal in what regards inclusive urban mobility, and offered consulting services to dozens of Municipalities.
She has also collaborated with several entities of the Portuguese Government.
At this level, she was Technical Coordinator of dozens of Accessibility Promotion Plans in Portugal.
In 2014, when mpt brasil was founded, with headquarters in São Paulo, mpt takes the first steps towards internationalization.
National Coordinator of the Network of Cities and Towns with Mobility for All, a project that she has created and developed in collaboration with APPLA-University of Aveiro since 2003, which includes about 80 municipalities.
In March 2008 she was named by the Portuguese Government to integrate the work team of the Accessibility existing law (Decree-Law No. 163/06, August 8).
In recent years she has been invited to lecture in several Universities, namely in the University of Aveiro, Higher Technical Institute of the University of Lisboa and Higher Education and Sciences Institute, within the Masters on Local Government Management.
Paula Teles is a Guest Lecturer in the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, within the degree and masters on Human Accessibility and Rehabilitation Engineering, since 2008, and a researcher in a project about urban areas mobility.
President and Founder of the Institute for Cities and Towns with Mobility (ICTM) in Portugal, a project that manages Network of Cities and Towns of Excellence.
She founded the Brasil Institute for Cities and Towns with Mobility (Br ICTM) and the Institute for Cities of Excellence in Spain (ICES).
She was elected President of the Technical Commission of Accessibility and Inclusive Design (CT 177) by the PIQ – Portuguese Institute for Quality –, in April 2008, for the development of Technical Standards, Accessibility Certification and inclusive Design in Portugal. She is the representative of Portugal in the CEN (European Committee for Standardization) in Brussels, for the Normalization of Accessibility and Design for All.
In 2012, she was invited to audition on Urban Rehabilitation and Urban Renting by the Environment Commission, Regional Planning and Local Power of the Portuguese Republic Assembly.
She was included in the Commission of Experts of the Forum “Think about the 21st Century Cities”, from the Peninsular Northwest Atlantic axis (Galiza and Northern Portugal).
Town Councilor in Penafiel (2009-2013) and responsible for the Mobility department, urban rehabilitation and image, strategic planning and territory ordering.
Founder of Jornal Jovem de Alvarenga.
Member of the Santa Cruz de Alvarenga Philharmonic Band (1980-1993).
Member of the Board of the Casa do Provo in Santa Cruz de Alvarenga (since 2013).
Member of the Assembly of Representatives of the Order of Engineers (2019-2021).
Holder of the title of Specialist in Transport and Roads by the Order of Engineers.
European Engineering Card holder .
Over the last decade she has presented several speeches on Urban Mobility and Cities Design in Portugal, Europe and Brasil.
Author of a wide range of works and publications, for instance, book publications including “(Social) Territories of Mobility” (2005), “Cities to Wish For among City Drawings - Best Practices about Urban and Inclusive Design” (2009), "The City of (im)Mobilities - Handbook of Best Practices about Accessibility, Mobility for All" (2014) and "City of Bicycles - Grammar for the design of cycling cities" (2019), “STATION – 25 years of life between cities” (2021) and "The City of Tuesdays" (2023)
Weekly columnist at Jornal de Noticias, since March 2022.
