Alison Bain appointed Professor of Geographies of Inclusive Cities
Dr Alison Bain has been appointed as Professor of Geographies of Inclusive Cities at Utrecht University starting from February 1st, 2023. The chair is embedded in the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Geosciences.
Alison Bain is a feminist urban social geographer who studies contemporary urban and suburban culture. She studied Geography at Queen's University (Kingston, Canada) and at the University of Toronto, and obtained her PhD in England from the University of Cambridge. Bain joins Utrecht University from York University (Toronto), where she is a professor and former coordinator of the Global Geography program in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change. She is especially interested in the contested urban governance dynamics of (in)formal arts district and cultural quarter formation as well as municipal social inclusion practices within neighbourhoods and policy frameworks as triggered by both bottom-up and top-down arts-led urban redevelopment initiatives and queer place-making practices.
Urban context
“We are thrilled that Dr Bain will join us”, says Wilco Hazeleger, Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences. “The inclusivity issues that she works on are highly relevant for science and society, in particular in an urban context. Her chair is an excellent opportunity to propel this theme academically and to connect to the real world challenges on equality and inclusivity in cities.”
Human Geography and Spatial Planning
The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning is responsible for research into and teaching about urban issues against the backdrop of ongoing worldwide processes such as urbanisation, climate change, globalisation, and infrastructural and technological change.