Kirsten Visser is Assistant Professor of Urban Geography at the Faculty of Geosciences. In her research, Visser looks at the situation and development of children, young people and families from a geographical perspective. She specializes in various qualitative research methods including photography, mental mapping and interviews with young people.
Visser mainly conducts research into outdoor play in the city. She investigates how we can encourage children to play outside more and how the design of the city can play a role in this. She focuses specifically on risky outdoor play. Taking risks is good for the development of children, but the urban environment offers fewer and fewer opportunities for this. Visser examines the experiences of children, parents and policymakers with risky outdoor play and how we can fit this into an increasingly densifying city. She is also conducting research on inclusive outdoor play. How can we design public spaces to ensure they are enjoyable and accessible for all children, including those with disabilities?
Visser investigates, among other things, what role the neighborhood plays in young people's vision of the future and what social networks there are that can help them realize their ambitions. She also looks at the effects on young people when their neighborhood has a negative label and she investigates the extent to which young people experience and deal with discrimination.
Teacher and thesis coordinator
In addition to her work as a researcher, Visser is involved as a teacher in various courses such as City in Motion, the international field trip to Chicago and the interdisciplinary Master Youth Development and Social Change. She is also the thesis coordinator of the master Human Geography.