ANDREA CRUZ MEJIA

Associate

Andrea, originally from Honduras, brings to Code Studio a wealth of experience in architecture, planning, and urban design. Her professional journey began in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and has led her to Austin. Before relocating to the US, she was an active member of the architecture research group (PExURB), which focuses on transforming urban spaces through critical practices in policy and design in Brazilian cities in need. She also served as an architect on modernization projects in historic preservation buildings and included updated policies to revitalize cultural heritage sites and enhance community belonging.

Andrea’s unwavering commitment to community engagement is not just a part of her work but a part of her identity. She passionately advocates for outreach and participatory design processes in architecture and urban planning projects. She firmly believes that community voices are valuable for understanding their respective needs. She also got involved with multidisciplinary and multicultural projects that assist cities with low budgets to shape environments tailored to the community’s needs, such as the APA project and Design-Preservation Rapid Assistance- Urban Design. Her work focuses on creating innovative design and policy strategies to facilitate accessible solutions for the community. She plans to continue participating in neighborhood and city-wide organizations advocating for equity in Austin. Her passion for finding good local coffee shops around Austin is one of the many ways she connects with the communities she serves.

She holds a Master of Science in Community Regional Planning, a Master of Science in Urban Design from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Urbanism from Universiade de São Paulo in Brazil.