Justus Uitermark studies cities from a comparative and historical perspective. He looks at how power relations are expressed in the built environment: which groups and interests prevail and which are pushed into the background?

As professor of Urban Geography, Uitermark will focus on three themes. The first is the emergence of digital platforms. How are cities changing as people increasingly share their lives on Instagram and Facebook, and find their way around using TripAdvisor or Google Maps? The second theme revolves around rapid urbanisation. Particularly outside the West, governments cannot keep up with the pace at which cities are growing - how can city dwellers get water or electricity, for example, in such situations? The causes and consequences of urban policy will be Uitermark’s third area of attention. Why do governments sometimes focus strongly on urban renewal and at others times ignore it? How do government interventions change the fabric of cities?

About Justus Uitermark

This appointment brings Justus Uitermark back to the Department from which he graduated in 2003. In the intervening years, he received his doctorate in sociology and political science from the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) and was successively assistant professor in Sociology and professor by special appointment of Community Development at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Since 2014, he has been an associate professor in the UvA’s Sociology Department and remains attached to that Department on a part-time basis in order to strengthen the links between sociology and geography. He has received various grants, including Vidi and Veni grants from the Dutch Research Council (NWO).