Professor Alex Vasudevan, Urban Geographer from the University of Oxford, visited UNSW Cities Institute. Hosted by Dr Naama Blatman, Prof Vasudevan delivered an HDR/ECR workshop and a seminar.
Cities Institute had the pleasure of hosting Prof Alexander Vasudevan, an urban geographer from the University of Oxford, for two events: a PhD/ECR workshop and a joint seminar with the University of Sydney’s School of Geosciences. Alex is a renowned geographer and urbanist who has written extensively about squatting, housing justice, and urban politics in Europe and North America.
On 19 February 2026, Alex joined Naama Blatman, Cities Institute Scientia academic, in hosting 14 PhD students and ECRs for a workshop covering a range of topics, from issues related to their own work to coping with anxiety, publishing, and working with supervisors. Participants came from a range of disciplinary backgrounds across Arts, Design & Architecture. Taking turns, participants presented a core dilemma of their research – theoretical, methodological, or other – and Alex provided generous comments, advice, and guidance. This unique forum also allowed participants to engage in each other’s work in ways that they are not normally afforded. The event was hugely successful, and several PhD students requested Cities Institute takes the lead on facilitating similar workshops in the future, as they do not currently exist in their schools and centres. Cities Institute has begun looking into developing a workshop/seminar series for PhD students in the faculty.
On 26 February 2026, Alex delivered a fascinating and thought-provoking paper entitled, ‘Endurance, Resistance, Autonomy: Re-thinking the Liveable City.’ The seminar was organised as a joint event between Cities Institute and the University of Sydney’s School of Geosciences and was held in a hybrid format, allowing both online and in person participation. 26 people attended the seminar and engaged in a lively discussion about Alex’s reflections on the possibilities of collective urban life in our current intensifying emergency.
Finally, on 27 February we were able to take Alex on a day long tour of Sydney, where we travelled from Redfern and Waterloo to Harris Park, through North Parramatta, and back via Burwood, Auburn, and Glebe all the way down to Barangaroo and The Rocks to show Alex the rich and complex layers of politics, cultures, and histories that make up the urban fabric of Sydney.
Cities Institute is delighted to have had the opportunity to host Alex for these events and to have him as a colleague for several weeks at the Institute. We are excited to continue the tradition of hosting leading urban scholars from around the world and will announce additional visitors in the coming months. We welcome anyone who would like to visit us to get in touch.
Are you interested in visiting Cities Institute? Feel free to contact us.