Faculty Profile
Nazanin Gaffari
Assistant Professor
254 Marshall Hall
Background
Nazanin Ghaffari holds a Ph.D. in urban planning and public policy from the University of Texas at Arlington and is currently a Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Fellow in the Arts Research with Communities of Color Program. She is interested in navigating disciplinary terrain in urban planning and design, public administration, feminist geography, and social anthropology to highlight and uncover racialized, classed, gendered, and sexualized biases within our understanding of contested urban landscapes.
Her research delves into the inclusionary and exclusionary strategies employed by governance regimes, impacting design, programming, policing, and management processes. Nazanin also investigates how design and planning can enable historically marginalized communities through artistic interventions and grassroots innovations, advancing social, racial, and climate justice. She is currently a Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Arts Research with Communities of Color Fellow.
With an educational and professional background as an architect, urban designer, and urban planner, Nazanin brings over a decade of experience with the United Nations Development Programme, UN-Habitat Mitigation Office, Asia-Pacific Slum Upgrading Working Group, Tehran Municipality Research Center, private design firms, and grassroots community organizations in the Middle East and North America.
Education
Ph.D., Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of Texas at Arlington (2021)
MA., Urban Design, Tehran Azad University (2010)
B.Arch, Tehran Azad University (2006)
Research Interests
Design, programming, policing, and management of signature public spaces
Neoliberal governance regimes and contested urban landscapes
Arts-driven and asset-based community development
JEDI and the built environment
Political economy, redevelopment, and resilience of shrinking cities
Research Experience
Fellow, Social Science Research Council Arts Research with Communities of Color.
Disruptive Power of Arts in Transforming South Side Chicago: An Ethnographic Investigation of Black Lives, Black Arts, and Black Spaces in South Side Chicago.
Co-I, University of Texas at Arlington, College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.
PI: Dr. Karabi Bezboruah and Dr. Emily Nwakpuda.
Reimagining Current and Future Resident Engagement in the Arlington Texas Cultural District.
University of Texas at Arlington, College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.
Dissertation, Advisor: Dr. Ivonne Audirac.
Neoliberal Governance Regimes and the Right to the City: A Critical Assessment of Social Inclusion in Downtown Dallas Signature Parks
University of Texas at Arlington, College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.
Co-I, CAPPA Water and Human Settlements Initiative Grant,
PI: Prof. Dennis Chiessa.
North of the Island: A Critical Investigation of Redevelopment and Gentrification in Historic Fort Worth Latino Neighborhood.
Senior Research Associate, Asia-Pacific Slum Upgrading Working Group. Tehran, Iran
Regional Slum Upgrading Working Group
Researcher, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Tehran, Iran
Gender, Ethnicity, and the Challenges of Informal Settlements in Major Iranian Cities.
Junior Researcher, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Tehran, Iran
Housing Sector Profile for Iran.
Research Assistant, Fourth Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD). Tehran, Iran.
Supporting Youth Livelihood in Iranian Cities
Teaching Experience
State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Syracuse, NY.
Assistant Professor | Department of Landscape Architecture
- Research Methods in Landscape Architecture, Required Graduate Course.
- Behavioral Factors of Community Design, Required Graduate Course.
University of Texas at Arlington. Arlington, TX.
Adjunct Assistant Professor| Department of Public Affairs and Planning
- Graphics and Multimedia Communication, Required Graduate Course.
- The Metroplex, Required Undergraduate Course for Public Affairs and Planning Minor.
Azad University of Tehran. Tehran, Iran.
Lecturer| Department of Architecture and Urban Planning
- Introduction to Urban Design - Required Undergraduate Course.
- Urban Design Studio – Required Undergraduate Course
- Environmental Condition Regulation (Sustainable Development) – Required Undergraduate Course
- Environmental Perception and Expression – Required Undergraduate Course