果冻影院

What is your role and what does it involve?听

I am a Professor of Development Planning鈥痑t the Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU), leading our MSc Health in Urban Development. In this role I teach a core module 鈥淗ealth, Social Justice and the City鈥� that introduces key approaches, theories and ideas for the study of urban health. Additionally, I also lead our practice module focusing on how urban conflicts and spatial division have driven significant changes in the production and use of urban spaces and population health in cities where ongoing conflict (often violence) occurs. In the last two years we have worked in Nicosia, exploring how the division of the city affects the health of communities, and this coming year we will work in Belfast, in partnership with . We will explore different urban health challenges such as children's health in post-conflict cities, care zones development, car dependency and health as well as the effect of leaded water on different communities in Belfast.

I see our practice module as a unique opportunity for students to integrate their academic knowledge into practice, and hence there is a strong emphasis on 鈥渞eal-life鈥� urban health problems, the development of effective health intervention in urban scale including policies, planning, development etc. As a Programme Leader 鈥� especially during the pandemic 鈥撎齣t is also important for me to develop a strong sense of community among our students 鈥� many听of them are from overseas and come from diverse geographies and cultures. Hence, both academically and socially I invite听the students to bring to the class their own experience, identity, academic discipline and knowledge which serve听as basis for our collective learning.听听

How long have you been at 果冻影院 and what was your previous role?听

I have joined 果冻影院 almost five years ago 鈥� but this was also a 鈥渞eturn鈥� to the DPU, where I graduated in 1997.

Joining 果冻影院 was exciting, following two decades of extensive academic work that included a one-year Fulbright post-doctorate at the University of Berkley California, and later two years as a Marie-Curie Fellow at the department of Architecture at Cambridge University. My academic position in Israel was at the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University where I have also served as a Head of Department.听听

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?听

Academically, I am proud of one of my recent projects which was听supported by the Wellcome Trust and The Bartlett Synergy Grant: , which studies how power, violence and health become entangled in conflict zones and what kind of resilience strategies are developed by individuals and communities. The importance of this project led me and my colleague, Michelle Pace from Roskilde University to publish not just an , but also a blog,听 a podcast,听, and a short documentary,听 which are all open access for the public.听

An additional project I am proud of is my initiative, 20 years ago, to establish an NGO called , and works to strengthen democracy and human rights in the field of planning in Israel\Palestine. Within this framework I was involved in many consultancy projects dealing with the right to health and planning within the unrecognized Bedouin settlements, and participatory planning with Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem. I am proud that BIMKOM has become one of the central organisations dealing with minority rights (both Jewish and Palestinian) and the planning apparatus in Israel.听听听

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?听

Together with Professor Ed Fottrell (果冻影院 Institute for Global Health) we received听 the 果冻影院 Social Science Plus Grant: Overcoming Syndemic Urbanism: Health, Vulnerability and Communities鈥� Resilience. The project aims to鈥痗onceptually develop the notion of Syndemic Urbanism as both theoretical and methodological lenses through which urban health and interventions should be understood. Syndemic urbanism focuses on how urban-spatial elements influence the accumulation of several health conditions and how these are experienced in an urban context. The research is planned as a pilot in Faridpur, a major city located in the Faridpur District, Bangladesh with local partners investigating鈥痟ow urban-spatial elements affect syndemic urbanism, and how might they be used as a vehicle for informing interventions leading to urban health justice. This project will also refer to the ways in which communities (local) knowledge, participation and leadership can contribute to the improvement of urban health. 鈥�听

What is your favourite album, film and novel?听

My favourite album is Avishai Cohen鈥檚 Aurora (2009) 鈥� an excellent piece combining jazz and ethno-music, and a wonderful multi-language vocality which is based on rich and diverse historical sources. My very favourite novel is Elena Ferrante鈥檚 My Brilliant Friend听(I have read the Hebrew translation from Italian) which is a wonderful opportunity to follow (among other things) the urban life of a poor yet vibrant neighbourhood life of Naples. One of my favourite films is the French film La Haine (Hate),鈥痺ritten and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Though it is a relatively old film (1995) it exposes the viewer to some of the most current urban challenges such as migration, race, marginalisation and urban violence.听听听

What advice would you give your younger self?听

Stick to your aspiration and never(!) give up.听

What would it surprise people to know about you?听

I wake up early each听morning and practice Iyengar yoga!听

What is your favourite place?听

No doubts 鈥� Paris.听听