Caroline Newton

Caroline (Brussels, 1976) is an architect, urban planner and political scientist. She holds a PhD in social geography from the University of Leuven (Belgium).

Her work and research focuses on the socio spatial dimensions of design and critical spatial practices in Europe and the Global South. Her research interests are centred on the interrelationship between social processes and the built environment. Caroline has a very broad interest and she has worked on (informal) dwelling and participatory upgrading, the challenge of design and planning in post colonial environments and also on the methodological and pedagogical challenges of a 'designerly way of knowledge production'.

Additionally she has been working and writing on integrating real and virtual words and their role for architecture and architectural education. Currently she is looking at the role of the urban in (socio-ecological) transition processes and the spatial embeddedness of a circular economy.

Caroline is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment.

She teaches courses on participatory processes and design, urban planning, socio-spatial planning, sociological concepts for spatial designers, design studio's on building and urban design in Europe and the Global South and she has coordinated numerous fieldwork and study trips in Europe, Africa and Asia. Here is a list of her selected publications.

Research areas: participatory design, qualitative research, critical (urban) theory, transition, critical spatial design and practice, power and inequality, (informal) housing