Expertise

Dr. Nazanin Ghaffari is an assistant professor of landscape architecture specializing in place-based and community-based planning and design. She was awarded the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Arts Research with Communities of Color Fellowship in 2022, which allowed her to explore the transformative power of arts in addressing the lingering effects of racism and the challenges presented by neoliberal planning and design in South Side Chicago. Nazanin received her Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of Texas at Arlington in August 2021. With a background in architecture, urban design, urban planning, and public policy, she applies her interdisciplinary knowledge to research public spaces, community development, and governance regimes. Her work examines how exclusion manifests in design, programming, policing, and management processes.

Organizational Affiliations

Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, Academic Departments and Divisions, College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Education

Urban Planning and Public Policy
09/2015–08/2021, Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Texas at Arlington (United States, Arlington) - UTA

Neoliberal Park Governance Regimes and the Right to the city: A Critical Assessment of Social Inclusion in Downtown Dallas Signature Parks. Advisor: Dr. Ivonne Audirac

Urban Studies
09/2011–06/2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Tehran Azad University

ABD Withdrawal, Dissertation title: Gender, Representation, and Urban Everyday Life: Reflecting on Iranian Cinema. Dr. Mohsen Habibi

Urban Design
09/2007–05/2010, Master of Arts (MA, MA, AM, or AM), Tehran Azad University
Architecture
09/2001–05/2006, Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), Tehran Azad University