The University of Valencia and the Gandia City Council pay tribute to the figure of Professor Joan Noguera with the creation of a Territorial Thought Chair that will bear his name.

In this way, the UV and the Gandia City Council strengthen their relationship, which has lasted over four decades, with a Chair designed as a broad-spectrum space for analysis and reflection, aimed at promoting university activities in the city; to contribute with its contributions, in a supportive and intelligent way, to the necessary progress of Gandia, the La Safor region, and the Central Valencian Counties.

Joan Noguera Territorial Thought Chair

The Territorial Thought Chair also aims to be a recognition of Professor Noguera's legacy and his passion for his homeland and is part of the shared interest of the promoters in advancing the development of the Gandia Campus of the University of Valencia. In the 21st century, an avant-garde space for analysis and reflection is essential to define the direction of a territory shaped by its history and cultural significance, modernity, and competitiveness.

Joan Noguera

Joan Noguera Tur (Gandia, 1968-2021) was a tenured professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Valencia and director of the Interuniversity Institute for Local Development (IIDL) from 2012 to 2021. Noguera also helped establish the International Center of Gandia of the University of Valencia (CIG-UV), where he was deputy director from 2008 to 2012. Additionally, he served as secretary of the Department of Geography from 2006 to 2008.

Professor Joan Noguera's academic work focused on land management, strategic planning, regional geographies, local development, and tourism planning and management. His publications include “Management and Promotion of Local Development: Studies and Documents,” with María Dolores Pitarch and Javier Esparcia; “New Development Factors,” with Javier Esparcia; and “Local Partnerships for Integrated Rural Development in Spain,” with Javier Esparcia and Almudena Buciega. All are published by the Publications Service of the University of Valencia (PUV).

The Interuniversity Institute for Local Development (IIDL) is a center for research and theoretical and practical specialization in the field of local development, in its broadest sense. It is comprised of researchers from the Jaume I University and the University of Valencia, experts in various topics encompassed by the concept of sustainable development, which frames policies and strategies for local development.