Dr. Bas Spierings

Biography

Bas Spierings is an Associate Professor in Urban Geography (Consumption, Retail, Public Space) at Utrecht University. He studied at Tilburg University and Trinity College Dublin, and received his PhD from Radboud University Nijmegen with a dissertation on consumerism and city centers. He has also been a Postdoctoral Researcher at Groningen University and a Visiting Professor at universities in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Stockholm, and Ankara. His research focuses on the intersection of urban consumption, retail, and public space, specifically in areas such as city center competition, commercial gentrification, touristification, mixed-use streets, and sustainable development. Spierings examines how urban public space is planned and managed for commercial objectives, analyzing the implications of increased privatization and commodification on social interaction, differentiation, and inequality. He employs both qualitative and quantitative methods, with specific interests in participatory visual methods, mental mapping, and text mining. He is a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Tourism Research and Space and Culture. His ongoing research projects are funded by various international, national, regional, and local agencies.

Research Interests

Experience