All Things Urban

With more than half of humanity already living in urban areas and the world projected to be in a process of ‘planetary urbanisation’, many vital societal challenges are now first and foremost linked to the urban context. It is in cities that the vision of a more just and sustainable future for humanity may or may not become a reality. The Centre for Urban Studies aims at facilitating the interdisciplinary, international, and societal collaborations that are essential to comprehend these challenges and realize this vision.

The Centre for Urban Studies and the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies (GPIO) are currently inviting applications for a postdoctoral researcher in Planning and Urban Geography to study how financialization practices, and debt (at household and municipal level) affect urban redevelopment practices.The position is for 1,5 years (1,0 fte) or 2 years (0,7 fte).

The successful candidate will work as a research assistant to Profs Maria Kaika and Ewald Engelen. The post will be held at the GPIO, which is one of the six Departments in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and the successful candidate will be affiliated with both Planning and Geography thematic groups.

The project aims to go beyond the dominant analysis that depicts: 1) the financial crisis as the inevitable result of market liberalisation and financialization and 2) cities as the inevitable victims of this process.
The aim is to investigate the dialectic between housing policies and planning practices on one hand, and the processes of the ‘urbanization of capital’ on the other hand and the role this dialectic played in fueling the global financial crisis and its aftermath.

It will focus on one or two case studies, (one of which will be Amsterdam) to develop an empirically grounded longitudinal (pre and post crisis) comparative analysis of two different institutional and economic settings.

The project will use both quantitative and qualitative methods (life stories, diaries, interviews, archival material, debt and housing market data, etc.).

Candidates are expected to:

• Develop and conduct high-quality research;
• Provide a contribution to the development of the field through scholarly publications and participation in national and international research networks;
• Prepare applications for external funding for long-term research projects to fit in the Centre for Urban Studies;
• Live and work full-time in Amsterdam and be prepared to conduct brief fieldwork periods abroad.

The following skills are required:

• A doctoral degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. urban geography, urban planning, urban studies, urban political economy, urban sociology, etc.);
• Demonstrated ability to publish in international peer-reviewed journals;
• Experience with research and knowledge of literature on urban political economy, cities and financialization, debt, and financial crisis;
• Some experience in funding applications;
• An excellent command of qualitative (incl. ethnographic) and quantitative research methods;
  excellent communication skills in English;
• Competent in the use of social media and blogging (these will form part of the project’s research methods and dissemination practises).

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and sufficient scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organisation. We cherish enquiring minds and persevering spirits, and allow you space to dig deeper with your questions. Diverse, unique, dynamic, internationally oriented and ambitious: these are all characteristics which typify UvA staff. Strongly committed to the city of Amsterdam and the international society of which it is part, the UvA stands for independence, creativity, innovation, an international perspective and a critical yet open mindset.

€3,545 to €4,033 gross per month

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.