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Irina van Aalst is an Associate Professor at Utrecht University, specializing in urban geography. Her work focuses on how individuals, particularly youth and women, navigate and shape public spaces such as streets, squares, and parks. She employs participatory visual methods to amplify the voices of residents, addressing significant urban socio-cultural challenges. Through transdisciplinary collaboration and Community Engaged Learning, she fosters strong partnerships between the university, communities, and cities, striving for inclusive urban futures. Van Aalst is a Faculty Ambassador and leads the ‘Lab in de Stad’ (CityLab, UUtopia) project, which aims to integrate research and teaching to create tangible changes beyond university walls, enhancing everyday lives and promoting shared responsibility, respect, and equality. She also serves on the supervisory board of the architectural center Aorta Utrecht and holds the chair position at the STOGO foundation.
Department of Psychology