about
I am Professor in Urban Studies at Brunel University London. My research is grounded in ethnographic approaches and examines the politics of space in cities through the prism of experiential urbanism across the globe.
Being a public academic is central to my practice: through my teaching, public engagements or applied research I aim to provide a bridge between academic thinking/writing/real world issues to promote social justice in cities.
My latest interest is understanding how digital media and technologies are transforming how we engage with, plan and live in cities.
my story
I was born in Barcelona, Spain to German parents, and would travel every summer by car through Europe. What fascinated me was how the various cities we would cross had such a different feel and how their public spaces were used and lived in such diverse ways.
This led to a lifelong curiosity for people, cities and experiences which has shaped my academic career.
education
After working several years in hotel management and hospitality I started my academic studies at the University of Munich with Journalism, English Literature and Comparative Literature.
I moved to Lancaster University and received a BA in Culture and Communications and my MSc in Cultural Studies from Birmingham University. I continued with an ESRC funded PhD in Sociology at Lancaster University comparing Barcelona’s urban transformation with Manchester’s. It was supervised by Bülent Diken and the late John Urry.