Dr. Constance CARR

Dr., Senior Research Scientist, Level-2

• Since 2022, Principal Investigator, Gendered dimensions of digital urban development (GEN-DIGIURB)

• Since 2021, Principal Investigator, Digital Urban Development – How large digital corporations shape the field of urban governance (DIGI-GOV)

• Since 2020, Invited Faculty at the Paris Institute of Political Studies

• Since 2019, Visiting Scholar, CITY Institute, York University, Toronto

• 2018-2020, Co-Principal Investigator, Digital Urbanism and the Challenge of Urban Governance (DIG_URBGOV)

• Ph.D. 2010, Institute of Social Sciences, Stadt- und Regional-Soziologie, Humboldt Universität, Berlin

• M.E.S. 1999, Faculty of Environmental Studies (now called Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change), York University, Toronto

Research Interests

As an urban geographer in the social sciences, my aim is to explore the broad questions of how spaces and flows constitute contemporary (sub)urban processes. I am interested in urban governance, policy, small states, and the dilemmas with urbanisation and growth pressure. I am particularly fixated on the contradictions of market-led sustainable development practices with respect to infrastructure, digitalisation and corporatization of cities.I lead a research team exploring (i) the role of large digital corporations (LDCs) in digital urban development, (ii) how the presence of LDCs in urban planning practice challenge pre-existing modes urban governance, and (iii) how LDC-led urban development constitutes a new relational geography of digital cities. These are the key objectives of an FNR-funded research project entitled, “Digital Urban Development — How large digital corporations shape the field of urban governance (DIGI-GOV),” and of which I am PI.I was also recently chief organiser of Small State, Big Transitions – The 30th Annual Conference of the International Network of Urban Research and Action, in Luxembourg . Organized in cooperation with the ETH, D-ARCH, the conference took place for June 25-29, 2022, with a great line-up of fabulous speakers.(see inuraluxembourg.blogspot.com)I am co-founder and co-editor (with Markus Hesse) of Urbanization Unbound (http://urbanunbound.blogspot.com).

Research Stays

Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, USA, Netherlands

Editorial Functions

• Co-editor, Bulletin of the International Network of Urban Research and Action, 2022

• Editorial Board Member, Palgrave Book Series on Environmental Sustainability

• Guest Edited for Local Environment

• Guest Edited for  Planning Theory & Practice, Interface

• Co-editor of Urbanization Unbound (urbanunbound.blogspot.com)

• Co-editor isdrs.org/topic-6b-urban-and-rural-developmen/

• Chapter Editor, Berlin, The Contested Metropolis (2004)

Publications in

• Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space

• Journal of Maps

• Planning Theory & Practice

• Urban Planning

• Journal of Transport Geography

• Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

• Regional Studies

• Raumforschung und Raumordnung

• disP – The Planning Review

• Raumplanung

• International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

• Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies

• Journal of Economic and Social Geography

• Thirdspace: A Journal of Feminist Theory and Culture

Awards

• Winner of Regional Studies Association’s e-Zine’s Best Paper Award, 2021.

Memberships

• International Network of Urban Research and Action (INURA), Board Member

• Luxembourgish Geographical Society, Founding Member

• Smart City Cluster, CITY Institute, York University

• Invited Guest of the H2020 Energy-SHIFTS Transport and Mobility Working Group

• Association of American Geographers (AAG), COVID-19 Rapid Response

• American Association of Geographers (AAG)

• Spaces & Flows Research Network

• Regional Studies Association (RSA)

• International Geographical Union / Urban Commission

• International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference (ISDRS), Cities and Communities Group

Referee

• Nature, Scientific Reports

• Nature, Springer Manuals

• International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

• Urban Studies

• Globalizations

• Local Environment

• Interface: Journal for and about Social Movements

• European Planning Studies

• Journal of Economic and Social Geography Journal of Economic and Social Geography

• Palgrave and MacMillan Publishing

• Israeli Science Foundation

• Environment Development and Sustainability

• International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference

• European Science Foundation College of Expert Reviewers

• IGU Urban commission

• Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

• Regions and Cohesions

Courses 2019-2022

• Paris Institute of Political Studies: Introduction to Urban Studies

• DGEO:  Integrated Spatial Planning and Case Studies; Master Planning & Urban Governance; Master Thesis Workshop; Formation Continue en Aménagement du Territoire;

Post-Graduate Supervision

• Dr. Olga Kryvets, Research Scientist, “Gendered dimensions of digital urban development – resilience and critical reconstruction in Ukraine” (GEN-DIGIURB)

• Karinne Madron, doctoral thesis, “The multiscalar spatial fixes of urban development led by large digital corporations”

• Annick Leick, doctoral thesis, (2016) “„Kleines Land, Große Projekte. Diskurse, Praktiken und soziale Welten im Entscheidungs- und Planungsprozess der Großvorhaben Belval und Kirchberg in Luxemburg,” University of Luxembourg

• Jan Tobias-Doerr, master thesis, (2014) “From Agenda21 to sustainable subpolitics,” University of Luxembourg

Invited Talks

• over 70 presentations at international venues such as the Universities of Bielefeld, Cologne, Greenland, Delft, Freiburg, St. Gallen, Luxembourg, York University (Toronto), Humboldt University in Berlin, and the ETH Zurich, as well as conferences such as the Deutsche Kongress für Geographie, Arbeitskreis Stadtzukünft, Royal Geographical Society, Centre International de Recherche dur l’Environnement et le Développement (CIRED), the American Association of Geographers, BIVEC-GIBET Transport Research Days, the Regional Studies Association, International Conference on Interpretive Policy Analysis (IPA) and not least, the International Network of Urban Research and Action (INURA)

Media

• International: BBC Radio World Service; BBC Capital; Bloomberg CityLab, Tagesspiegel, Al Jazeera, Inside Story; SRF 10vor10; Dagens Nyheter; TomScottGo; NRC Handelsblad; Gazet van Antwepen; The Conversation, UK

• Luxembourg: Forum – für Politik, Gesellschaft und Kultur; Tageblatt; Luxemburger Wort; Radio 100,7; Le Quotidien; Brennpunkt, RTL

• Urban Political Podcast

Key projects

• PI, Gendered dimensions of digital urban development (GEN-DIGIURB), FNR

• PI, Digital Urban Development – How large digital corporations shape the field of urban governance (DIGI-GOV), FNR

• Co-PI, Digital Urbanism and the Challenge of Urban Governance (DIG_URBGOV), ERASMUS+

• Manager, Governance for sustainable spatial development – a comparative study of Luxembourg and Switzerland, 2013-2015 (SUSTAIN_GOV), FNR

• Manager, Sustainable Spatial Development, 2010-2013 (SUSTAINLUX), FNR

Further Current Activities

• Lead organizer of the 30th Annual Conference of the INURA, (inuraluxembourg.blogspot.com)

• Co-organizer with Hesse, Schulz, Becker of DGEO and the German Academy for Spatial Research and Planning’s (Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung, ARL) Summer School, “Smart Cities and Beyond”

Languages 

• English (1st language)

• German (Oberstufe)

• French (B1.2)

• Luxembourgish (B2)

Blog urbanunbound.blogspot.com

Twitter @urban_unbound

ORCID : 0000-0003-1491-536X