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Giovanna Astolfo is an urban researcher with a background in architectural theory and practice. As an Associate Professor at the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London, she integrates funded research with research-based teaching, consultancy, and project management. Her work focuses on contested and ungovernable urban geographies in Southeast Asia, the Amazon region, West Africa, and Southern and Eastern Europe, with special attention to issues such as non-conventional urbanisms, continuous displacement and migration, spatial violence, and housing justice. Additionally, she engages in non-funded research related to the ethics of design and the role architecture plays in the face of current socioecological challenges. Prior to her academic career, she worked as an architect in various architectural offices in Venice, São Paulo, and London, participating in projects aimed at re-imagining vacant buildings and de-militarizing border zones.