Visiting at SSIIM
Michael Leaf
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Visiting period: from 3 May to 5 June 2010
Michael Leaf is an Associate Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada, a Research Associate of the UBC Centre for Human Settlements (CHS), and formerly the Director of the Centre for Southeast Asia Research (CSEAR) within UBC’s Institute of Asian Research. The primary focus of his work has been on urbanization and planning in cities of developing countries, with particular interest in Asian cities. Since his doctoral research (PhD Berkeley, 1992) on land development in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dr. Leaf has been extensively involved in urbanization research and capacity building projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, China and Sri Lanka. The courses he teaches at SCARP cover the theory and practices of development planning and the social, institutional and environmental aspects of urbanization in developing countries.
His most recent pubblications include:
- Leaf, M. (2009), “Urban Poverty and Urban Transitions: Southeast Asian Experiences,” in Hy Van Luong (ed), Urbanization, Migration and Poverty in a Vietnamese Metropolis: Ho Chi Minh City in Comparative Perspectives, Singapore: National University of Singapore Press.
- Leaf, M., and Bakti Setiawan (2009), “Kampung Spaces and the Future of Indonesian Urbanism: Reflections from Jogjakarta” in Amrita Daniere and Mike Douglass (eds), The Politics of Civic Space in Asia: Building Urban Communities, London and New York: Routledge, pp 112-133.
- Leaf, M. and S. Anderson (2008), “Civic Space and Integration in Chinese Peri-Urban Villages,” in Mike Douglass, K.C. Ho and Ooi Giok Ling (eds), Globalization, the City and Civil Society in Pacific Asia, London: Routledge, pp 121-144.
Contact: leaf@interchange.ubc.ca
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Tito Alegría
El Colef, Tijuana, Messico
Visiting period: from 15 September to 15 october 2009
Tito Alegría is doctor in Urban Development and Planning. Since 1987 he teaches urban sociology, economics, and planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Environment at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico. He is a member of the Mexican Researchers National System (SNI). The focus of his research encompasses a wide range of issues concerning cities, and in particular the urban development on the Mexico-USA border, transboundary labor market, land uses and intra-urban sub-centers for retail and services, social and spatial segregation, regularization of property, as well as urban integration of foreign migrants. He is author of 2 books and several academic articles on these issues, published in 6 countries. His most recent publication is “Integration of International Immigrants in Tijuana: Why So Easy?”, Progressive Planning, Spring, No. 179, 2009. His latest book “Metrópolis Transfronteriza” will be published soon. He was visiting researcher in Promperú, Government of Peru, and the University of California at La Jolla. He also worked as a consultant for local governments in Mexico and for UN-Habitat.
Contact: talegria@colef.mx
Fabiola Galicia Bretón-Mora
El Colef, Tijuana, Messico
Visiting period: 10 July - 31 September 2009
Graduated in Economics at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (1998), Master in Social Sciences with specialization in Economy and local development at the Colegio de Sonora (2005), Fabiola Galicia is PhD student at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana. Her doctoral thesis focuses on “laboral insertion of skilled Mexican immigrants working in the metropolitan area of Los Angeles, California: the case of immigrants from Zacatecas, Oaxaca and Veracruz. Fabiola collaborates to the project “integrating in the City: socio-demographic factors and urban policies integrating Mexican migrants in Los Angeles” financed by the Foundation BBVA. She also participates in other research projects on migration between Mexico and the United States headed by Dr. Rafael Alarcón, Dr. Luis Escala and Dr. Olga Odgers
e-mail: fgalicia@colef.mx; faba12@gmail.com;
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Kristen Biehl
Koç Universitesi, Istanbul, Turchia
visiting period: 6 March - 7 April 2009
Kristen Biehl studied social anthropology and development studies for her undergraduate degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London (2003-2005). In 2008, she completed a Masters in Sociology at the Bogazici University in Istanbul, writing her thesis titled “Governing though Uncertainty: ‘Refugeeness’ in Turkey,” which examines the impact of migration and asylum policies in Turkey on the everyday experiences and migratory decisions of refugees. She works for the Migration Reseach Program at Koc University in Istanbul where she assisted with the research and publication of the Istanbul city report for the British Council project called ‘Living Together: Migrant Cities” and currently she is also the Turkish Junior Researcher for the EU project ‘Managing International Urban Migration: Turkey-Italy-Spain.” Aside from her academic work, since 2006, she has also been working with various refugee-related Turkish NGO’s, such as the International Catholic Migration Commission. Currently she also works as the advocacy program and research assistant for the Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly, Refugee Advocacy and Support Program, in Istanbul.
