The Cass staff profiles content store_hidden Beatrice De Carli Our staff

Dr Beatrice De Carli is a Reader in Urbanism at the School of Art, Architecture and Design. Prior to joining London Met, she was a lecturer at the University of Sheffield (2014-2020). 

An architect by training, her work employs a collaborative, design-based approach to address issues of equity, diversity and social justice in the production of urban space. 

Dr De Carli was the Co-Principle Investigator of the EC Erasmus+ project RAUM: Researching Alternate Urban Methods and the Principle Investigator of DESINC: Designing Inclusion (both 2016-2018). She is currently the Co-investigator of DESINC Live: Designing and learning in the context of migration (2019-2022) and she collaborates with the interdisciplinary research network Contested Territories.

Integral to her academic commitments, is her work as a volunteer associate and general manager of the non-profit design organisation Architecture Sans Frontières -UK, where she has led research and capacity development projects in Quito, Cape Town, Freetown and London. 

At London Met, she is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Urban and Built Ecologies and is affiliated to Architecture of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources and to the Global Diversities and Inequalities Research Centre.

My work focuses on democratic spatial governance in an urbanising world, as materialised through processes of spatial production. In my research and teaching, I employ a collaborative, design-based approach to address issues of equity, diversity and social justice in urban space through both the study of existing urban environments and the development of alternative forms of urban practice. 

My interest in democratic city-making translates into two primary strands of research. The main one focuses on community-based urban design and planning in contested spaces. Through the development of strong research partnerships and the use of participatory visual and design methods, my work in this area focuses on grassroots practices of spatial production and highlights how these might scale out and up to transform broader urban planning and policy frameworks.

A second strand of research centres on urban pedagogy and the knowledge that informs different ways of representing, imagining and transforming urban space. Through a focus on the ways in which both urban dwellers and practitioners learn the city, I am interested in developing novel approaches, methods and tools that can allow professionals and dwellers alike to participate in the co-production of more equitable, inclusive and democratic urban environments.

Teaching responsibilities

• Module leader, AR7037 Changing Places

Teaching interests

• Social, spatial and urban justice
• Urban practice
• Community-led design and planning
• Feminist approaches in architecture
• Urban design and international development
• Creative research methodologies
• Practice and design-based research

Books

•   Urban Commons Research Collective (2022) Urban Commons Handbook. Barcelona: dpr-barcelona (co-author).

Journal articles

• De Carli, B and Frediani, A A (2021). Situated perspectives on the city: A reflection on scaling participation through design. Environment and Urbanization, 33(2).
• De Carli, B (2016). Micro-resilience and justice: Co-producing narratives of change. Building Research and Information, 44(7), 775-788.
• De Carli, B, Frediani, A A (2016). Insurgent regeneration: Spatial practices of citizenship in the rehabilitation of inner-city São Paulo. GeoHumanities, 2(2), 331-353.
• De Carli, B, Frediani, A A, Barbosa, B, Comaru, F and Moretti, R (2015). Regeneration through the ‘Pedagogy of Confrontation’: Exploring the critical spatial practices of social movements in inner-city São Paulo as avenues for urban renewal. Dearq, 16, 146-151.
• De Carli, B and Kinnear, M (2015). Learning amidst urban practices. Reflections on Architecture Sans Frontières. Charrette, 2(1), 46-56.
• Cognetti, F & De Carli, B (2013) City/University. Experiences of civic engagement. Territorio, 66, 16-17.
• De Carli, B (2013) Which university/which city. Trajectories in academic civic engagement. Territorio, 66, 64-68.

Book chapters

• De Carli, B (2018) Micro-resilience and justice in São Paulo. In: R. Lawrence, D. Petrescu, K. Trogal (eds.), Architecture and resilience: Interdisciplinary dialogues. London: Routledge.
• Frediani, A A, De Carli, B, Barbosa, B R, Comaru, F, & Moretti, R (2018). São Paulo: A pedagogy of confrontation. Informal building occupations in São Paulo’s central neighbourhoods. In R. Rocco, & J. van Ballegooijen (Eds.), Routledge Handbook on Informal Urbanisation. Abingdon: Routledge.
• De Carli, B and Falletti, M (2013). Formal/Informal interplays. Spatial tensions and design strategies. In: F. Chiodelli, B. De Carli, M. Falletti, L. Scavuzzo (eds.). Cities to be tamed? Spatial investigations across the urban South. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Research and project reports

• Architecture Sans Frontières –UK and Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (2022). Community Planning Toolkit: Settlement Profiling. London: Architecture Sans Frontières –UK (co-author).
• De Carli, B, and Caistor-Arendar, L (2021). Practices of urban inclusion: Designing an experiment in education. London: London Metropolitan University.
• Horn, P, De Carli, B, Habermehl, V, Lombard, M, Roberts, P and Tellez, L (2021). Contested Territories: Lessons from interdisciplinary dialogues on conflict, resistance and alternatives in Latin America. Contested Territories Working Paper Series, 1.
• De Carli, B (2020). Change by Design: Imagining equitable cities. AAD Design Research Portfolios. London: London Metropolitan University. 
• Architecture Sans Frontières –UK and Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (2019). Change by Design: Cockle Bay Community Action Area Plan 2018. Freetown: SLURC Publishers (co-author).
• Architecture Sans Frontières –UK and Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (2019). Change by Design: Dworzark Community Action Area Plan 2018. Freetown: SLURC Publishers (co-author).
• De Carli, B, Macedo, C and Caistor-Arendar, L (2018). Pedagogies of inclusion. Volume 1: A review of spatial education in Europe. Sheffield: University of Sheffield.
• De Carli, B, Macedo, C and Caistor-Arendar, L (2018). Pedagogies of inclusion. Volume 2: A playbook for spatial education. Sheffield: University of Sheffield.
• Cerulli, C, De Carli, B, and Kossak, F (2017) Methods and Tools for the Engaged Urban Practitioner. Sheffield: University of Sheffield. Available at: www.urbantools.eu
• Bainbridge, E, Bennett, J, Campkin, B, De Carli, B, Frediani, A A, French, M, Macedo, C, Walker, J, Macgregor-Rourke, H, Issadeen, A, Matiashe, W and du Trevou, C (2016). Change by Design: Reimagining regeneration through participatory design in Cape Town. London: Architecture Sans Frontières –UK.
• Frediani, A A, De Carli, B, Shinkins, N (2015). Change by Design. Collective imaginations for contested sites in Euston. Oxford: Architecture Sans Frontières –UK.
• Frediani, A A, De Carli, B, Nuñez Ferrera, I, Shinkins, N (2014). Change by Design. New spatial imaginations for Los Pinos. Oxford: Architecture Sans Frontières –UK.
• Cognetti, F, De Carli, B (eds.) (2013). Mapping San Siro. Instant Report. Milan: Politecnico di Milano.

Edited volumes

• Chiodelli F, De Carli, B, Falletti, M, Scavuzzo, L (eds.) (2013). Cities to be tamed? Spatial investigations across the Urban South. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Designing Inclusion LIVE

Co-investigator, EC Erasmus+ Key Action 203.Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education (2019-2022)

Contested Territories in Latin America

Co-investigator, White Rose Collaboration Fund (2019-2020)

Designing Inclusion

Principal Investigator, EC Erasmus+ Key Action 203. Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education (2016-2018)

Researching Alternate Urban Methods

Principal Investigator (with F. Kossak and T. Schneider), EC Erasmus+ Key Action 1. Learning Mobility of Individuals (2016-2018)

Associate and Member of the Management Committee at Architecture Sans Frontières – UK (2013–present)

Member of the Board of Directors at Architecture Sans Frontières – International (2008-2010 and 2013-2017)

Member of the Board of Directors at Architetti Senza Frontiere – Italia (2007-2013)