Dr Hesam Kamalipour
Co-Founding Director of Public Space Observatory Research Centre
Co-Director of MA Urban Design
Senior Lecturer in Urban Design
School of Geography and Planning
- KamalipourH@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 29208 74463
- Glamorgan Building, Room 2.98, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am the Co-Founding Director of the Public Space Observatory Research Centre and the Co-Director of the MA Urban Design programme at Cardiff University. I am also a Senior Lecturer in Urban Design at the School of Geography and Planning and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Advance HE.
My work lies at the intersections of urban design, informal urbanism, public space, urban morphology, and comparative urbanism. My research has primarily focused on the challenge of understanding the dynamics of informal urbanism in relation to urban design and the ways in which different forms of informality work in a global context. Google Scholar lists over 1,400 citations to my publications, with an h-index of 20 and an i10-index of 30.
I have explored a wide range of international case studies from different countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
I have led a major co-edited handbook project titled The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. The handbook represents the culmination of several years of work and features chapters from 80 international contributors from over 20 countries worldwide. I am currently leading a co-authored book project on urban design education.
I previously served as Research Fellow at Monash University, Research Assistant and Guest Lecturer in Urban Design at the University of Melbourne and Doctoral Academy member at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. I hold a PhD from the University of Melbourne.
My current research interests include informal urbanism, forms of urban informality and adaptation, typology, urban morphology and morphogenesis, tactical and temporary urbanism, public space and streetlife, place identity and urban mapping.
I am a member of the Urban Design Group, the Academy of Urbanism, the Architectural Humanities Research Association, the AESOP Public Spaces and Urban Cultures, and the AESOP Planning and Complexity. I am also a member of the Informality Research Observatory and the Research Excellence Framework committee at the School of Geography and Planning and a Senate member at Cardiff University.
I have frequently been invited to review articles for international journals, including Cities, Habitat International, Urban Studies, Urban Geography, Urban Design International, Geoforum, Sustainability, Urban Design and Planning, Journal of Urban Management, Heliyon, The Journal of Public Space, Education Sciences, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, International Planning Studies, Sustainable Cities and Society, Journal of Urban Affairs, Area Development and Policy, Urban Planning, Journal of Urban Mobility, Planning Theory & Practice, Geography Compass, The International Journal of Housing Policy, Planning Practice & Research, Applied Geography, and Land Use Policy, among others. The Web of Science lists over 70 verified peer reviews on my profile.
I am an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Sustainable Cities - Cities in the Global South and an editorial team member of Habitat International (Editorial Board), Urban Design and Planning (Editorial Panel), The Journal of Public Space (Scientific Board), International Journal of Architectural Research (Review Board), and Urban Planning (Editorial Board).
News
The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods
A major co-edited handbook project that I led on urban design research methods has recently been published.
Links to the publisher's web pages for the book: Routledge | Taylor & Francis
Invisible/Visible Urbanities: Framing Public Space in a Global Context
An urban photography exhibition has been on display in the foyer and central corridor of the Glamorgan Building at Cardiff University. The exhibition presents a visual exploration of how places and public spaces are being made, unmade, and remade in a global context. It features a curated collection of black and white photographs taken by me as part of my storytelling urban photography project, which explores forms of urbanity across cities in the global North and South.
Publication
2023
- Iranmanesh, A. and Kamalipour, H. 2023. A configurational morphogenesis of incremental urbanism: A comparative study of the access network transformations in informal settlements. Cities 140, article number: 104444. (10.1016/j.cities.2023.104444)
- Thinh, N. K., Kamalipour, H. and Gao, Y. 2023. Mapping the emerging forms of informality: a comparative morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city in Vietnam.. Habitat International 138, article number: 102864. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102864)
- Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. eds. 2023. The Routledge handbook of urban design research methods. New York: Routledge. (10.4324/9781003168621)
- Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. 2023. Introduction: Urban design research. In: Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. New York: Routledge, pp. 1-12., (10.4324/9781003168621-1)
- Kamalipour, H. 2023. Exploring informal urbanism. In: Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. New York: Routledge, pp. 369-377., (10.4324/9781003168621-41)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2023. On the ethics of researching informal urbanism. International Development Planning Review (10.3828/idpr.2023.13)
- Kamalipour, H. 2023. Shaping public space in informal settlements: a case study.. Sustainability 15(4), article number: 3781. (10.3390/su15043781)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2023. Designing a blended studio pedagogy: A postgraduate case study in urban design education. Presented at: Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices, Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa, Campus de Benfica Lisbon, Portugal, 29 - 31 March 2023.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2023. Mapping forms of street vending. Presented at: Thirteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment, Honolulu, HI, USA, 17-18 May 2023.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2023. Street vending and urban morphology: a case study. Presented at: Ecocity World Summit, London, UK, 6-8 June 2023.
2022
- Thinh, N. K. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. The morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city: Mapping incremental urbanism in Hanoi city. Habitat International 130, article number: 102706. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2022.102706)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. Mapping the spatiality of informal street vending. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability (10.1080/17549175.2022.2150267)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2022. Learning and teaching urban design through design studio pedagogy: a blended studio on transit urbanism. Education Sciences 12(10), article number: 712. (10.3390/educsci12100712)
- Kamalipour, H. 2022. Assembling informal urbanism.. In: Marinic, G. and Meninato, P. eds. Informality and the City: Theories, Actions and Interventions.. Cham: Springer, pp. 83-97., (10.1007/978-3-030-99926-1_6)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2022. Sustaining place transformations in urban design education: learning and teaching urban density, mix, access, public/private interface, and type. In: Gamage, K. A. A. and Gunawardhana, N. eds. The Wiley Handbook of Sustainability in Higher Education Learning and Teaching. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 221-235., (10.1002/9781119852858.ch11)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. Informal street vending: a systematic review. Land 11(6), article number: 829. (10.3390/land11060829)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. Assembling transit urban design in the global South: urban morphology in relation to forms of urbanity and informality in the public space surrounding transit stations. Urban Science 6(1), article number: 18. (10.3390/urbansci6010018)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. The future of design studio education: student experience and perception of blended learning and teaching during the global pandemic. Education Sciences 12(2), article number: 140. (10.3390/educsci12020140)
2021
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Online education in the post COVID-19 era: students' perception and learning experience. Education Sciences 11(10), article number: 633. (10.3390/educsci11100633)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2021. Informal urbanism in the state of uncertainty: forms of informality and urban health emergencies. Urban Design International 26(2), pp. 122-134. (10.1057/s41289-020-00145-3)
- Sartorio, F. S., Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P., Kamalipour, H. and Frank, A. 2021. Towards an antifragile urban form: a research agenda for advancing resilience in the built environment. URBAN DESIGN International 26, pp. 135-158. (10.1057/s41289-021-00157-7)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Online education and the COVID-19 outbreak: A case study of online teaching during lockdown. Education Sciences 11(2), article number: 72. (10.3390/educsci11020072)
- Kamalipour, H. and Iranmanesh, A. 2021. Morphogenesis of emerging settlements: mapping incremental urbanism. Land 10(1), article number: 89. (10.3390/land10010089)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Teaching research methods in the wake of emergency online migration. Presented at: 14th International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies, Rhodes, Greece, 5-6 May 2021.
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2021. Forms of informality and the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented at: 11th International Conference on the Constructed Environment, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 12-14 May 2021.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Urban informality and the design of public space. Presented at: Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) Online Small Format Conference 2021, Virtual, 12-14 July 2021.
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2021. Informal urbanism in relation to urban design and planning in the age of public health emergency. Presented at: 2021 UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, Newcastle, England, 8-10 September 2021.
- Kamalipour, H. 2021. Feeding forward in urban design pedagogy: a critique strategy. In: Watson Zollinger, S. and Nyboer, J. eds. Effective Design Critique Strategies Across Disciplines. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, pp. 39-43., (10.24926/edc.107)
2020
- Kamalipour, H. and Dovey, K. 2020. Incremental production of urban space: a typology of informal design. Habitat International 98, article number: 102133. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2020.102133)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2020. Access and forms of urbanity in public space: Transit urban design beyond the global north. Sustainability 12(8), article number: 3495. (10.3390/su12083495)
- Kamalipour, H. 2020. Improvising places: the fluidity of space in informal settlements. Sustainability 12(6), article number: 2293. (10.3390/su12062293)
2019
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2019. Negotiating space and visibility: Forms of informality in public space. Sustainability 11(17), article number: 4807. (10.3390/su11174807)
- Kamalipour, H. and Dovey, K. 2019. Mapping the visibility of informal settlements. Habitat International 85, pp. 63-75. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.01.002)
- Kamalipour, H. 2019. Rethinking urban informality in the Global South and beyond. Presented at: Centre for Spatial Justice, Istanbul, Turkey, 9 March 2019.
- Kamalipour, H. 2019. Mapping urban informalities. Presented at: Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey, 4 March 2019.
- Kamalipour, H. 2019. Emergent morphologies: The spatial structures of informal settlements. Presented at: ISUF 2019 - XXVI International Seminar on Urban Form: Cities as Assemblages, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2-6 July 2019.
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2019. Towards an informal turn in the built environment education: Informality and urban design pedagogy. Sustainability 11(15), article number: 4163. (10.3390/su11154163)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2019. Informal street trading and the emergent urban intensity. Presented at: CUI '19 VII. International Contemporary Urban Issues Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, 13 December 2019.
2018
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2018. Lessons from urban transport in less formal cities: Isochrone mapping, mode choice and informality. Presented at: Spaces and Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies, Heidelberg, Germany, 25-26 October 2018.
- Lowe, M., Trundle, A., Stephan, A., Gile-Corti, B., Henderson, H. and Kamalipour, H. 2018. This is why health has to be at the heart of the New Urban Agenda. The Conversation 2018(14 Feb)
- Kamalipour, H. and Dovey, K. 2018. Incremental urbanisms. In: Dovey, K., Pafka, E. and Ristic, M. eds. Mapping Urbanities: Morphologies, Flows, Possibilities. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 249-267., (10.4324/9781315309163-14)
- Dovey, K. and Kamalipour, H. 2018. Informal/formal morphologies. In: Dovey, K., Pafka, E. and Ristic, M. eds. Mapping Urbanities: Morphologies, Flows, Possibilities. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 223-248., (10.4324/9781315309163-13)
- Kamalipour, H. 2018. Mapping urbanities. Presented at: The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 3 December 2018.
2017
- Kamalipour, H. 2017. Mapping urban interfaces: a typology of public/private interfaces in informal settlements. Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies 8(2), pp. 1-12. (10.18848/2154-8676/CGP/v08i02/1-12)
2016
- Kamalipour, H., Trundle, A., Stephan, A., Henderson, H. and Lowe, M. 2016. When planning falls short: the challenges of informal settlements. The Conversation
- Stephan, A., Trundle, A., Kendal, D., Henderson, H., Kamalipour, H. and Lowe, M. 2016. Our cities need to go on a resource diet. The Conversation 2016(30 Nov)
- Kamalipour, H. 2016. Forms of informality and adaptations in informal settlements. International Journal of Architectural Research (ArchNet-IJAR) 10(3), pp. 60-75. (10.26687/archnet-ijar.v10i3.1094)
- Trundle, A., Stephan, A., Henderson, H., Kamalipour, H. and Lowe, M. 2016. Habitat III is over, but will its New Urban Agenda transform the world’s cities?. The Conversation 2016(25 Oct)
- Kamalipour, H. 2016. Urban morphologies in informal settlements: a case study. Contour Journal 1(2), article number: 61. (10.6666/contour.v1i2.61)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2016. Where gender comes to the fore: Mapping gender mix in urban public spaces. Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies 8(1), pp. 19-30. (10.18848/2154-8676/CGP/v08i01/19-30)
2015
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2015. Assemblage thinking and the city: Implications for urban studies. Current Urban Studies 3(4), pp. 402-408. (10.4236/cus.2015.34031)
- Kamalipour, H. 2015. Emerging urbanity: Learning from informal settlements as assemblages of permanent temporality. Presented at: Agency/Agents of Urbanity: International PhD Colloquium, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, 1-2 June 2015.
Articles
- Iranmanesh, A. and Kamalipour, H. 2023. A configurational morphogenesis of incremental urbanism: A comparative study of the access network transformations in informal settlements. Cities 140, article number: 104444. (10.1016/j.cities.2023.104444)
- Thinh, N. K., Kamalipour, H. and Gao, Y. 2023. Mapping the emerging forms of informality: a comparative morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city in Vietnam.. Habitat International 138, article number: 102864. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102864)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2023. On the ethics of researching informal urbanism. International Development Planning Review (10.3828/idpr.2023.13)
- Kamalipour, H. 2023. Shaping public space in informal settlements: a case study.. Sustainability 15(4), article number: 3781. (10.3390/su15043781)
- Thinh, N. K. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. The morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city: Mapping incremental urbanism in Hanoi city. Habitat International 130, article number: 102706. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2022.102706)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. Mapping the spatiality of informal street vending. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability (10.1080/17549175.2022.2150267)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2022. Learning and teaching urban design through design studio pedagogy: a blended studio on transit urbanism. Education Sciences 12(10), article number: 712. (10.3390/educsci12100712)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. Informal street vending: a systematic review. Land 11(6), article number: 829. (10.3390/land11060829)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. Assembling transit urban design in the global South: urban morphology in relation to forms of urbanity and informality in the public space surrounding transit stations. Urban Science 6(1), article number: 18. (10.3390/urbansci6010018)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2022. The future of design studio education: student experience and perception of blended learning and teaching during the global pandemic. Education Sciences 12(2), article number: 140. (10.3390/educsci12020140)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Online education in the post COVID-19 era: students' perception and learning experience. Education Sciences 11(10), article number: 633. (10.3390/educsci11100633)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2021. Informal urbanism in the state of uncertainty: forms of informality and urban health emergencies. Urban Design International 26(2), pp. 122-134. (10.1057/s41289-020-00145-3)
- Sartorio, F. S., Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P., Kamalipour, H. and Frank, A. 2021. Towards an antifragile urban form: a research agenda for advancing resilience in the built environment. URBAN DESIGN International 26, pp. 135-158. (10.1057/s41289-021-00157-7)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Online education and the COVID-19 outbreak: A case study of online teaching during lockdown. Education Sciences 11(2), article number: 72. (10.3390/educsci11020072)
- Kamalipour, H. and Iranmanesh, A. 2021. Morphogenesis of emerging settlements: mapping incremental urbanism. Land 10(1), article number: 89. (10.3390/land10010089)
- Kamalipour, H. and Dovey, K. 2020. Incremental production of urban space: a typology of informal design. Habitat International 98, article number: 102133. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2020.102133)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2020. Access and forms of urbanity in public space: Transit urban design beyond the global north. Sustainability 12(8), article number: 3495. (10.3390/su12083495)
- Kamalipour, H. 2020. Improvising places: the fluidity of space in informal settlements. Sustainability 12(6), article number: 2293. (10.3390/su12062293)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2019. Negotiating space and visibility: Forms of informality in public space. Sustainability 11(17), article number: 4807. (10.3390/su11174807)
- Kamalipour, H. and Dovey, K. 2019. Mapping the visibility of informal settlements. Habitat International 85, pp. 63-75. (10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.01.002)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2019. Towards an informal turn in the built environment education: Informality and urban design pedagogy. Sustainability 11(15), article number: 4163. (10.3390/su11154163)
- Lowe, M., Trundle, A., Stephan, A., Gile-Corti, B., Henderson, H. and Kamalipour, H. 2018. This is why health has to be at the heart of the New Urban Agenda. The Conversation 2018(14 Feb)
- Kamalipour, H. 2017. Mapping urban interfaces: a typology of public/private interfaces in informal settlements. Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies 8(2), pp. 1-12. (10.18848/2154-8676/CGP/v08i02/1-12)
- Kamalipour, H., Trundle, A., Stephan, A., Henderson, H. and Lowe, M. 2016. When planning falls short: the challenges of informal settlements. The Conversation
- Stephan, A., Trundle, A., Kendal, D., Henderson, H., Kamalipour, H. and Lowe, M. 2016. Our cities need to go on a resource diet. The Conversation 2016(30 Nov)
- Kamalipour, H. 2016. Forms of informality and adaptations in informal settlements. International Journal of Architectural Research (ArchNet-IJAR) 10(3), pp. 60-75. (10.26687/archnet-ijar.v10i3.1094)
- Trundle, A., Stephan, A., Henderson, H., Kamalipour, H. and Lowe, M. 2016. Habitat III is over, but will its New Urban Agenda transform the world’s cities?. The Conversation 2016(25 Oct)
- Kamalipour, H. 2016. Urban morphologies in informal settlements: a case study. Contour Journal 1(2), article number: 61. (10.6666/contour.v1i2.61)
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2016. Where gender comes to the fore: Mapping gender mix in urban public spaces. Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies 8(1), pp. 19-30. (10.18848/2154-8676/CGP/v08i01/19-30)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2015. Assemblage thinking and the city: Implications for urban studies. Current Urban Studies 3(4), pp. 402-408. (10.4236/cus.2015.34031)
Book sections
- Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. 2023. Introduction: Urban design research. In: Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. New York: Routledge, pp. 1-12., (10.4324/9781003168621-1)
- Kamalipour, H. 2023. Exploring informal urbanism. In: Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. New York: Routledge, pp. 369-377., (10.4324/9781003168621-41)
- Kamalipour, H. 2022. Assembling informal urbanism.. In: Marinic, G. and Meninato, P. eds. Informality and the City: Theories, Actions and Interventions.. Cham: Springer, pp. 83-97., (10.1007/978-3-030-99926-1_6)
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2022. Sustaining place transformations in urban design education: learning and teaching urban density, mix, access, public/private interface, and type. In: Gamage, K. A. A. and Gunawardhana, N. eds. The Wiley Handbook of Sustainability in Higher Education Learning and Teaching. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 221-235., (10.1002/9781119852858.ch11)
- Kamalipour, H. 2021. Feeding forward in urban design pedagogy: a critique strategy. In: Watson Zollinger, S. and Nyboer, J. eds. Effective Design Critique Strategies Across Disciplines. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, pp. 39-43., (10.24926/edc.107)
- Kamalipour, H. and Dovey, K. 2018. Incremental urbanisms. In: Dovey, K., Pafka, E. and Ristic, M. eds. Mapping Urbanities: Morphologies, Flows, Possibilities. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 249-267., (10.4324/9781315309163-14)
- Dovey, K. and Kamalipour, H. 2018. Informal/formal morphologies. In: Dovey, K., Pafka, E. and Ristic, M. eds. Mapping Urbanities: Morphologies, Flows, Possibilities. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 223-248., (10.4324/9781315309163-13)
Books
- Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P. and Peimani, N. eds. 2023. The Routledge handbook of urban design research methods. New York: Routledge. (10.4324/9781003168621)
Conferences
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2023. Designing a blended studio pedagogy: A postgraduate case study in urban design education. Presented at: Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices, Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa, Campus de Benfica Lisbon, Portugal, 29 - 31 March 2023.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2023. Mapping forms of street vending. Presented at: Thirteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment, Honolulu, HI, USA, 17-18 May 2023.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2023. Street vending and urban morphology: a case study. Presented at: Ecocity World Summit, London, UK, 6-8 June 2023.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Teaching research methods in the wake of emergency online migration. Presented at: 14th International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies, Rhodes, Greece, 5-6 May 2021.
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2021. Forms of informality and the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented at: 11th International Conference on the Constructed Environment, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 12-14 May 2021.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2021. Urban informality and the design of public space. Presented at: Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) Online Small Format Conference 2021, Virtual, 12-14 July 2021.
- Kamalipour, H. and Peimani, N. 2021. Informal urbanism in relation to urban design and planning in the age of public health emergency. Presented at: 2021 UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, Newcastle, England, 8-10 September 2021.
- Kamalipour, H. 2019. Rethinking urban informality in the Global South and beyond. Presented at: Centre for Spatial Justice, Istanbul, Turkey, 9 March 2019.
- Kamalipour, H. 2019. Mapping urban informalities. Presented at: Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey, 4 March 2019.
- Kamalipour, H. 2019. Emergent morphologies: The spatial structures of informal settlements. Presented at: ISUF 2019 - XXVI International Seminar on Urban Form: Cities as Assemblages, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2-6 July 2019.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2019. Informal street trading and the emergent urban intensity. Presented at: CUI '19 VII. International Contemporary Urban Issues Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, 13 December 2019.
- Peimani, N. and Kamalipour, H. 2018. Lessons from urban transport in less formal cities: Isochrone mapping, mode choice and informality. Presented at: Spaces and Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies, Heidelberg, Germany, 25-26 October 2018.
- Kamalipour, H. 2018. Mapping urbanities. Presented at: The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 3 December 2018.
- Kamalipour, H. 2015. Emerging urbanity: Learning from informal settlements as assemblages of permanent temporality. Presented at: Agency/Agents of Urbanity: International PhD Colloquium, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, 1-2 June 2015.
Research
My current research interest lies at the intersections of:
- Informal Urbanism, Forms of Urban Informality and Adaptation
- Typology, Urban Morphology and Morphogenesis
- Public Space, Streetlife and Urban Mapping
- Place Identity, Visibility and Image
I am interested in exploring the dynamics of informal urbanism in a global context with a particular focus on mapping the morphologies and incremental transformations of informal settlements as well as the relations between informal and formal across different scales and multiple case studies. Investigating the processes of morphogenesis in relation to the dynamics of place identity is then a key part of my research to explore the space of possibilities for harnessing the productive capacities of urban informality in the processes of upgrading and formalisation.
PROJECTS
Co-Producing Place Narratives
This project aims to advance an impact agenda through the collaborative production of knowledge, fostering engaged learning and reflection, cultivating practical skills, raising awareness, and promoting collaboration. Building upon the team's existing research, our scalable initiative empowers the communities, particularly the young people, to share their place-based narratives through participatory storytelling urban photography. In collaboration with: Dr Nastaran Peimani. Related funding: UKRI Harmonised Impact Acceleration Account
Forms of Informality in Public Space
This project engages with the ways in which forms of informality work in relation to streetlife and gender mix in public space with a focus on the spatial and temporal appropriations of space. Drawing on multiple case studies, this project aims to provide a better understanding of how different forms of informality negotiate space and visibility within the public realm. In collaboration with: Dr Nastaran Peimani
Morphogenesis of Urban Villages
Cities of the Global South have been experiencing processes of rapid urbanisation through which many village settlements have become villages-in-the-city. This project explores the morphogenesis of urban villages by mapping their incremental transformations. The findings of this study inform how the built environment professions can effectively engage with the upgrading of villages-in-the-city. In collaboration with: Dr Ngo Kien Thinh
Mapping Incremental Urbanism
This project adopts urban mapping as a key method to unravel how the processes of morphogenesis work in emerging settlements. With a few exceptions, most informal settlements can be upgraded incrementally without displacement. Engaging with such processes of upgrading relies on a sophisticated understanding of the ways in which adaptive processes work in emerging settlements. In collaboration with: Dr Aminreza Iranmanesh
Forms of Informal Settlement
This project focuses on how urban morphology, adaptive processes, and visibility work in informal settlements to inform the ways in which the built environment professions can most effectively engage with the complexity of upgrading processes. Drawing on multiple case studies from the cities of the Global South, this project aims to explore how different forms of informal settlement work. In collaboration with: Professor Kim Dovey. Related funding: RTP, IPRS and APA Scholarships
Urban Life and Public Space Design
This project is part of a post-occupancy evaluation research, which aims to explore public life in changing urban spaces by investigating the ways in which certain public open spaces in Cardiff are being used, appropriated, and managed by different groups of people. In collaboration with: Dr Nastaran Peimani. Related Funding: On-campus Internships Scheme
Negotiating Livelihoods and Rights in Contested Urban Space
This research project addresses the challenge of informal urbanism with a particular focus on the ways in which forms of street trading work in relation to gender, politics, and types in public space. It engages with the dynamics of street trading and explores the synergies and contradictions among multiple agents in public space. In collaboration with: Dr Nastaran Peimani and Dr Debdulal Saha. Related funding: GCRF Small Projects
Public Space Observatory Research Centre
The Public Space Observatory Research Centre has been co-founded as a knowledge exchange platform in public space research, practice and policy. The mission is to bring together local, national and international academics, practitioners and policymakers engaged with the provision, design, management and use of public space. In collaboration with: Dr Patricia Aelbrecht and Dr Nastaran Peimani
My/Your Cardiff Public Space Campaign
The My/Your Cardiff Public Space Campaign has been co-founded with the aim of raising public awareness on the social, cultural, economic and environmental values and benefits of well-designed, used and managed public spaces. In collaboration with: Dr Patricia Aelbrecht, Dr Nastaran Peimani and Dr Wesley Aelbrecht. Contribution to the project until November 2021. Related Funding: ESRC Impact Acceleration Account
Public Space Toolkit for Wales
This project aims to introduce a public space toolkit for Wales to support the work of Local Authorities. The toolkit can become a steppingstone towards innovative practices around placemaking for the public realm in Wales. In collaboration with: Dr Patricia Aelbrecht, Dr Francesca Sartorio, Dr Wesley Aelbrecht, Dr Richard Gale and Dr Nastaran Peimani. Contribution to the project until December 2021. Related Funding: Innovation Project Grant
Teaching
Course Co-Director
- MA Urban Design programme (Postgraduate)
The MA Urban Design programme at Cardiff University is one of the largest programmes of its kind and is jointly delivered by the Welsh School of Architecture and the School of Geography and Planning. Design studio teaching in the programme focuses on developing critically informed as well as creative and practical proposals for real sites, addressing important contemporary issues of design and urbanism.
Module Leader / Co-Leader
- Urban Design Foundation 2023/2024 (Postgraduate)
- Autumn Studio 2023/2024 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2022/2023 (Postgraduate)
- Autumn Studio 2022/2023 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2021/2022 (Postgraduate)
- Autumn Studio 2021/2022 (Postgraduate)
- Spring Studio 2021/2022 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2020/2021 (Postgraduate)
- Research Based Design Project 2020/2021 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Space and Place 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Planning Theory and Practice 2019/2020 (Undergraduate)
- Space and Place 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
- Planning Theory and Practice 2018/2019 (Undergraduate)
Module Contribution / Supervision
- Urban Design Foundation 2023/2024 (Postgraduate)
- Autumn Studio 2023/2024 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Guidance in Planning Practice 2023/2024 (Undergraduate)
- Research Project 2023/2024 (Undergraduate)
- Urban Design Research Methods 2023/2024 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Dissertation 2023/2024 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2022/2023 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Research Methods 2022/2023 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Dissertation 2022/2023 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2021/2022 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Research Methods 2021/2022 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Dissertation 2021/2022 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2020/2021 (Postgraduate)
- Autumn Studio 2020/2021 (Postgraduate)
- Research Methods and Techniques 2020/2021 (Postgraduate)
- Research Based Design Project 2020/2021 (Postgraduate)
- Urban Design Foundation 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Space and Place 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Planning Theory and Practice 2019/2020 (Undergraduate)
- Autumn Studio 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Research Methods and Techniques 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Research Based Design Project 2019/2020 (Postgraduate)
- Space and Place 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
- Planning Theory and Practice 2018/2019 (Undergraduate)
- Spring Studio 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
- Development Management 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
- Research Project 2018/2019 (Undergraduate)
- Research Dissertation 2018/2019 (Undergraduate)
- Dissertation 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
- Research Methods and Techniques 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
- Research Based Design Project 2018/2019 (Postgraduate)
Biography
I have previously served as Research Fellow at Monash University, Research Assistant and Guest Lecturer in Urban Design at the University of Melbourne and Doctoral Academy member at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. I have a background in Architecture and hold a PhD in Urban Design from the University of Melbourne as well as the Melbourne Teaching Certificate from the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
Research and Teaching Experiences
- Senior Lecturer in Urban Design, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, UK
- Co-Founding Director of the Public Space Observatory Research Centre, Cardiff University, UK
- Co-Director of the MA Urban Design programme, Cardiff University, UK
- Lecturer in Urban Design, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, UK
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Monash Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University, Australia
- Research Assistant in Urban Design, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Guest Lecturer in Urban Design, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Academic Tutor in Urban Design, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Australia
Professional Development and Memberships
- Member of the Urban Design Group
- Member of the Academy of Urbanism
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Advance HE
- Memebr of the Architectural Humanities Research Association
- Member of the Public Spaces and Urban Cultures Group, Association of European Schools of Planning
- Member of the Planning and Complexity Group, Association of European Schools of Planning
- Member of the Informality Research Observatory, Cardiff University
- Member of the Cities Research Centre, Cardiff University
- Member of the SPACE Research Group at the School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University
- Doctoral Academy Member at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute, University of Melbourne (2016)
- Member of the University of Melbourne Delegation in the Habitat III Conference in Quito (2016)
Speaking Engagements
- Informal/Formal Urban Assemblages (2021) Informality Research Observatory Annual Event 2021: The Global Normalisation of Informality Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Rethinking Urban Informality in the Global South and Beyond (2019) Centre for Spatial Justice, Istanbul, Turkey
- Mapping Urban Informalities (2019) Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
- Mapping Urbanities (2018) University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Reviewing Engagements
- Peer reviewer for international journals, including Cities, Habitat International, Urban Studies, Urban Geography, Urban Design International, Geoforum, Sustainability, Urban Design and Planning, Journal of Urban Management, Heliyon, The Journal of Public Space, Education Sciences, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, International Planning Studies, Sustainable Cities and Society, Journal of Urban Affairs, Area Development and Policy, Urban Planning, Journal of Urban Mobility, Planning Theory & Practice, Geography Compass, The International Journal of Housing Policy, Planning Practice & Research, Applied Geography, and Land Use Policy, among others.
Supervisions
My supervision interest lies at the intersections of:
- Informal Urbanism, Forms of Urban Informality and Adaptation
- Typology, Urban Morphology and Morphogenesis
- Public Space, Streetlife and Urban Mapping
- Place Identity, Visibility and Image
I supervised a total of 23 postgraduate/undergraduate students and co-supervised 6 research assistants.
Research themes
Specialisms
- Urban design
- Informal urbanism
- Public space
- Urban morphology
- Comparative urbanism