Dr Nastaran Peimani

Biography

Prior to joining Welsh School of Architecture, I served as a Research Assistant and Guest Lecturer in Urban Design at the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne. My background is in Architecture and I hold a PhD in Urban Design from the University of Melbourne as well as a Specialist Certificate in University Teaching from the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education (Melbourne CSHE). I won the prestigious 2018 Emerging Scholar Award by the Common Ground Research Networks based at the University of Illinois.

Research and Teaching Experiences

• Leader of the Urbanism Research and Scholarship Group, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, UK
• Senior Lecturer in Urban Design, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, UK
• Co-Director of the MA Urban Design Programme, Cardiff University, UK
• Co-Founding Director of the Public Space Observatory Research Centre, Cardiff University, UK
• Co-Founding Director of the My/Your Cardiff Public Space Campaign, Cardiff, UK
• Lecturer in Urban Design, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, UK
• 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 and Planning, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Australia

Professional Memberships

• Member of the Urban Design Group
• Member of the Academy of Urbanism
• Member of the Public Spaces and Urban Cultures Group, Association of European Schools of Planning
• Member of the Common Ground Research Networks, University of Illinois, USA
• Member of the Environment, Energy and People Research and Scholarship Group, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, UK
• Member of the Urbanism Research and Scholarship Group, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, UK
• Member of the Welsh School of Architecture Research Ethics Committee, Cardiff University, UK (2019-2021)

Reviewing Engagements

• Peer reviewer for international journals including Education Sciences, Asian Geographer, Journal of Urbanism, Land, Urban Planning, Sustainability, Urban Design and Planning, Cogent Arts & Humanities, and Sustainable Cities and Society

Publications

• Date
• Type
• Selected

Teaching

I have served as the Co-Director of the MA Urban Design programme at Cardiff University. This programme is one of the largest of its kind and is jointly run by the Welsh School of Architecture and the School of Geography and Planning.

I have served as the Module Leader / Co-Leader for the following modules in Urban Design:

• Urban Design Research Methods (Postgraduate)
• Urban Design Dissertation (Postgraduate)
• Autumn Design Studio (Postgraduate)
• Spring Design Studio (Postgraduate)

I have also lectured, taught and/or supervised in the following Undergraduate and Postgraduate modules in Urban Design and Architecture:

• Urban Design Foundation (Postgraduate)
• Urban Design Research Methods (Postgraduate)
• Urban Design Dissertation (Postgraduate)
• MArch Dissertation (Undergraduate)

My current areas of interest include:

• Transit-Oriented Urbanism and Urban Morphology
• Spatiality of Informal Street Vending
• Politics of Public Space and Urbanity
• Urban Design Education and Pedagogy

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Negotiating Livelihoods and Rights in Contested Urban Space

This is a multidisciplinary project which addresses the challenge of informal urbanism with a particular focus on the ways in which forms of street vending work in relation to gender, politics, and types in public space. It engages with the dynamics of street vending and explores the synergies and contradictions among multiple agents in public space. In collaboration with: Dr Hesam Kamalipour and Dr Debdulal Saha. Related funding: GCRF Small Projects

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 Hesam Kamalipour

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 Hesam Kamalipour

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 Hesam Kamalipour 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 Hesam Kamalipour. Contribution to the project until December 2021. Related Funding: Innovation Project Grant

Multi-scalar Mobilities: Metropolitan Transit Nodes and Neighbourhood Morphologies

This project aims to bridge the gap between urban morphological studies and transport research, by focusing on transit nodes as the inter-scalar interfaces between the walkable neighbourhood and the metropolitan rapid transit network. This research advances our understanding of multi-scalar access, by examining the nexus between metropolitan rapid transit networks, station design and neighbourhood morphologies. In collaboration with: Dr Elek Pafka. Related funding: ECR Grant

Contested Waterfronts: Informality, Floods and Capital in Southeast Asian Cities

This was a joint research project between Melbourne Social Equity Institute and Melbourne School of Design to address how upgrading, flood control and global projects emerge within the larger political economic framework of the city. In collaboration with: Professor Kim Dovey. Related funding: MSEI Seed Funding

Supervision

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the following areas:

• Politics of Public Space and Urbanity
• Spatiality of Street Vending and Informal Economy
• Transit-Oriented Urban Design
• Urban Morphology, Typology and Multi-Scalar Mapping