Dr R.G. van Melik (Rianne)

As an associate professor in urban geography, my research aims to unpack the social complexities of the urban domain in contemporary societies. I particularly investigate the mechanisms and processes that often remain hidden, but are key to understanding some of the major societal challenges of our age: who has a say in the way cities work, how is public space produced, and who has access to it? My work uncovers these challenges by focusing on people’s everyday practices that contribute to the production of urban spaces such as open-air markets and public libraries. I mostly conduct qualitative research, including in-depth interviewing and participant observation. As a committed action-researcher, I find it crucially important to actively contribute to the places I study, both as long-term (library) volunteer and as researcher, through participatory research methods and close collaboration and knowledge exchange with societal stakeholders such as housing corporations, trade unions and library organisations.