Hybrid Urbanisms (2021 - 2024)

The project aims to comparatively examine the unique relationship between formal and informal processes and structures of urban development in secondary cities in the global South. Previously, these have often been conceptualized as separate forms of development or transitional states from one form to another. The central starting point is the enduring coexistence and interaction of both components of urban development in the form of hybrid urbanisms. We investigate two different neighborhoods each in Sunyani (Ghana) and Arequipa (Peru), focusing on formal planning and everyday practices related to water and mobility infrastructures. The goal is to make the interdependencies of formality and informality in urban development visible based on their specific delivery configurations. The interdisciplinary collaboration between urban planning and sociology allows for a multiscalar comparison of diverse hybrid arrangements and their contextual conditions. Additionally, the international comparison contributes to advancing the theory-building of secondary cities in the global South, emphasizing the importance of local realities. Website

Home-Making of Latin American Male Sex Workers in Europe: Practices of security, identity, and belonging (2023 -)

Western European cities such as Frankfurt or Madrid are considered migration destinations for many people in Latin American countries. They are associated with the prospect of a better life, higher income, and improved access to social infrastructure such as education and healthcare. Particularly for gay men, these cities are also perceived as places of greater individual freedom, with the expectation of encountering less discrimination based on their sexuality. For some men, migration to Europe leads them to engage in sex work, a highly stigmatized labor market. This project examines the expectations and experiences of migration to Europe among Latin American male sex workers in relation to their conception of "home." The study explores the practices that contribute to the creation of a sense of home in their perception, as well as factors that influence or complicate this process: their own migration experience, discrimination based on their sexuality, exploitation and violence in sex work, and frequent international mobility associated with sex work. While other works have extensively investigated the various forms of marginalization and exclusion faced by this group, this project poses a different question: What resources and social practices are employed to create a spatial reference point—a place symbolizing safety, belonging, and one's identity—in the face of often adverse conditions? Men in Frankfurt and Madrid will be interviewed using semi-structured and narrative interviews. Additionally, men in Lima and Arequipa planning to migrate to Europe will be interviewed, focusing on their individual expectations, which will be compared with the experiences of men in Europe. This project is part of the network "Arrival, Access and Belonging in Past and Future Cities," funded by the British Academy.

SEGE - Evaluating Urban Development Holistically (2017 - 2019)

Funded by KFW Development Bank, the research project examines the unique developmental dynamics in secondary cities, or cities of the second order, through seven case cities in Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Indonesia, and Peru. A particular focus is placed on processes of decentralization. The project gains insights through interviews with key stakeholders in the urban society, including planners, politicians, civil society actors, and representatives from the local economy. It highlights the significant challenges faced in urban development in secondary cities, especially due to the increasing responsibilities delegated from the central government level to the cities. Some findings from the project have been incorporated into the 15th evaluation report of KFW Development Bank.

The Political City - Berlin, Madrid, and the Political Field (2012-2017)

This dissertation project investigates the spatial production processes of political actors in Berlin and Madrid. Building on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of political fields, observations of politicians, lobbyists, media representatives, political institution employees, and others are described and analyzed. The study delves into the significance of specific places for the practice of politics and how places acquire meanings for the actors in the field. The research also yields new insights into the functioning of national politics from a comparative perspective. Book link.

Publications

2023    with Nina Gribat(im Erscheinen)Comparing Hybrid Urbanisms in the Global South: Water Delivery Configurations in Peru and Ghana. Urban Planning.

2021    Comparing secondary cities: Holistic evaluation of urban development in Arequipa and Trujillo, Peru. In: Ruszczyk, H. A./Nugraha, E./de Villiers, I. (Hg.): Overlooked Cities. Power Politics and Knowledge Beyond the Urban South. London/New York: Routledge, S. 106-123.

2021    Conclusion (mit allen Autoren des Bandes). In: Ruszczyk, H. A./Nugraha, E./de Villiers, I. (Hg.): Overlooked Cities. Power Politics and Knowledge Beyond the Urban South. London/New York: Routledge, S. 158-165.

2019    SEGE - Stadtentwicklung ganzheitlich evaluieren. Forschungsbericht zu KFW-Projekt.

2018    Die politische Stadt. Berlin, Madrid und das politische Feld. Bielefeld: transcript.

2017   Stadt und Urbanisierung in sich entwickelnden Staaten. KFW-internes Strategiepapier.

2016    Politische Städte: Nationale politische Felder und die lokale Ebene in Berlin und Madrid. In: Barbehön, M./Münch, S. (Hg.): Variationen des Städtischen - Varianten lokaler Politik. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, S.275-297.

Conference communications

2023   „Hybrid Arrangements in the Formalisation of Pueblos Jovenes in Arequipa, Peru”, International Sociological Association, XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne.

2022   „The struggle for infrastructure in Arequipa's `pueblos jovenes`”, 21^st N-AERUS Conference, Khulna, Bangladesh and Kassel, Germany.

2022   „Conceptualising hybridity in secondary cities through delivery configurations seen from a multiscalar comparative perspective”, American Association of Geographers, 2023 AAG Annual Meeting, New York (digital).

2020    „Ethnographies of places of political practice. Evidence from Berlin and Madrid“, European Association of Social Anthropologists, Annual International Conference, Lissabon (digital).

2019     „Accessing and Mapping Social Fields“, RC21 - Research Committee on Urban and Regional Development, Annual Internaitonal Conference, Delhi.

2019   „Towards a new categorisation of secondary cities”, Royal Geographical Society-IBG Annual International Conference, London.

2018    „Alternatives to classical development approaches in secondary cities”, Royal Geographical Society-IBG Annual International Conference, Cardiff.

2018   „La ciudad politica. Los lugares de los politicos en Berlin y Madrid”, Vortrag an der Pontefica Universidad Catolica de Perú, Lima.

2018   „Espacio social y fisico. Conceptos de las ciencias sociales para arquitectos”, Vortrag an der Universidad San Martín de Porres, Arequipa.

2017   „Ethnographies of Political Places”, Ethnographies of Legislatures Workshop an der University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.

2016   „Accessing the political field of Berlin and Madrid from a spatial perspective”, 9^th. International Conference on Social Science Methodology, Leicester.

2015   „Political fields and political places in Berlin and Madrid”, Congreso Internacional "Elites y liderazgo en tiempos de cambio”, Salamanca.

2015   „Eigentlich kenne ich mich hier gar nicht aus - Abgeordnete in Berlin und Madrid“, Forschungskolloquium „Die Praxis der Politik“, München.

2014   „The Political Field, Space and Place”, ECPR Graduate Student Conference, Innsbruck.

International Summer School "Practicing Interdisciplinarity in Planning and Design of Secondary Cities"

Funded by the "Summer Schools Abroad" program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the summer school "Practicing Interdisciplinarity in Planning and Design of Secondary Cities" took place in Arequipa, Peru, in September 2023. A group of lecturers from German universities had the opportunity to travel to Arequipa to engage in discussions on urban development issues in secondary cities, particularly in Arequipa, with 30 Peruvian participants for one week. Collaboratively, ideas for the future of informal neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city emerged through project work and close cooperation with local stakeholders. All participants grappled with the question of how to work resource-efficiently and future-oriented in addressing the significant challenges of rapidly growing cities in many countries of the global South. The results of the project work and many impressions from the summer school are summarized in a "Summer School Newspaper," which can be downloaded at www.hybridurbanisms.org.

Memberships Section Urban Sociology of the German Sociological Association RC 21 Urban and Regional Development of the International Sociological Association