Lecturers & Staff

Keywords: urban studies, culture and economic development, tourism, nature and development

Urban tourism: Since the Grand Tour in the eighteenth and nineteenth century tourism has been an innate activity in cities, mainly in those which has an important cultural heritage and has been traditionally considered as ‘historic cities’. However, it has not been until the last decades when tourism has acquired an important presence in the political, economic, social, cultural and special urban life. Due to this new public presence of tourism, deeper researches are need in the relationships between urban dynamics and tourism sector in many different aspects, as for instance: a) tourism as an urban economic sector; b) cultural and monumental heritage and tourism; c) tourists and the use of public space; d) social and cultural implications of tourism.

Urban cultural sustainability: Although the cultural dimension has been traditionally accepted as one of the main pillar of sustainability, environmental and physical viewpoints have traditionally dominated this scientific approach to cities. Due to this predominance of these aspects, deeper researches are needed in relation with a huge array of concepts and processes directly related with the role of culture in the processes of urban sustainable development, such as heritage, cultural capital, identity and sense, how to measure sustainability and so on.

Cultural industries and urban city centres: In the last decades culture has begun to be considered as an important economic sector. Form an urban point of view, this change has entailed that apart from been promoted as a social right through equipments and facilities, culture is considered a strategic sector for the regeneration of the urban city centres. Among other important issues, it is crucial to understand a) how these cultural actors and micro-companies cluster to develop a chain of value; and b) how some characteristic cultural urban activities such as theatre, music, cinema and so on could improve the cities centres for an geographical, social and economic point of view.

City image and urban marketing: Among many other aspects, the globalisation and liberalization of the economy has meant that cities have become important actors in the global economic competition. For this reasons, cities are using the traditional process of marketing to promote or ‘sell’ themselves in a global market, to attract investors, companies, visitors, events and so on. This process involves reflecting and research about a) the traditional image conveyed by a city and b) how it has been use/modify/change for the new economic purpose; as well as c) the means used to convey new images and d) their social, cultural and geographical effects.

Keywords: urban tourism, cultural heritage, industrial heritage and education and new technologies

Keywords: energy poverty; low-carbon transitions; environmental justice; climate change; housing; collective action; street art

Inequalities and vulnerabilities in household energy use: Urban regions and economies are central to global decarbonization efforts, yet significant inequalities persist in meeting essential household energy needs. Research examines these disparities through the concepts of domestic energy poverty and vulnerability – as well as transport poverty – which describe material deprivation resulting from insufficient access to critical energy services like indoor climate control, mobility, cooking, or powering household appliances. Since cities account for over 70% of global energy use and carbon emissions, there is a pressing need for research and policy to address the dual challenge of swiftly transforming urban energy systems to address the climate crisis while ensuring justice in the energy transitions, particularly for those striving to meet their basic daily energy requirements.

Environmental justice: paving the path to equitable and inclusive urban environments: Environmental conditions in cities exhibit disparities across income, gender, ethnicity, and age, resulting in intricate socio-economic patterns of exposure to urban environmental goods and bads. Consequently, urban sustainability interventions and urban greening or regeneration projects need to be carefully appraised through an equity lens to better understand and prevent (un)intended effects on previously vulnerable or excluded populations. With over half of the global population residing in urban areas and this trend expected to rise, integrating environmental justice into urban sustainability decision-making is an urgent necessity – for which research must supply the conceptual and analytical tools needed for transitioning towards greener, fairer, and more inclusive cities.

Street art and urban public space: Street art is gaining recognition as a prominent form of creative expression, particularly in urban environments. It converts public spaces into platforms for self-expression and social and cultural commentary, challenging conventional ideas of property and public engagement. While enhancing a city’s identity and sense of place, it raises questions about its aesthetics, legality, and cultural legitimacy – and may also contribute to gentrification or the disruption of existing communities, thus altering the social landscape of neighborhoods. This complex interplay between artistic expression and urban life demands a critical examination of the role of street art in reshaping the visual and social fabric of cities.

Keywords: Urban Food Policies, Food Security, Agroecology, Participatory Research, Local Food Systems, Degrowth

My primary research interests revolve around the conceptualization and development of urban food policies. Broadly, these encompass three key areas: