Faculty

Profile

Miguel Robles-Durán, is an urbanist, theorist, designer, educator and podcaster. His transdisciplinary work engages with urban political-ecology, Marxist political-economy, critical human geography, progressive planning, urban policy, and social urbanism. Currently, he holds a tenured position as an Associate Professor of Urbanism at The New School / Parsons School of Design in New York City, where he also directs the graduate urban programs. Before his tenure at The New School, which began in 2010, Robles-Durán served as an associate professor at TU Delft Bauwkunst and The Berlage Institute in the Netherlands from 2006 to 2010, and at the Zürich University of the Arts in Switzerland from 2007 to 2010.

Miguel Robles-Durán, alongside his long-term collaborator David Harvey, has co-founded several influential initiatives aimed at fostering urban justice globally. As founding partners and co-directors of Urban Front, a transnational consultancy, they work with progressive governments around the world to develop and execute programs advocating for the right to the city. Additionally, they co-founded Politics In Motion, a non-profit anti-capitalist media organization that broadcasts Robles-Durán's podcast and YouTube series, "Cities After." In these programs, he addresses the capitalist contradictions of urbanization and discusses the prospective futures of cities. Their collaboration also includes co-founding and co-directing the National Center for the Right to the Territory (CENEDET) in Ecuador (2013-2017), demonstrating their commitment to shaping equitable urban environments worldwide.

Robles-Durán is also a founding board member of The Shape of Cities to Come Institute, a pioneering movement-building platform based in New York City dedicated to fostering co-learning and strategic planning in urban activism. In 2008, he co-founded Cohabitation Strategies (CohStra), a non-profit cooperative for socio-spatial development, specifically focused on challenging the traditional disciplinary divisions and social inequities involved in the production of neoliberal urbanization. After eleven years of long-term experimental work on sixteen complex urban projects across Europe, North America, and South America, the cooperative engaged in a broad range of topics including housing, cultural production, territorial development, economics, policy, and community advocacy before merging in 2019 with Urban Front.

Robles-Durán's professional engagements span over thirty countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, underscoring his global influence in progressive urban practice. His notable contributions to envisioning urban justice have been featured at internationally renowned institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), MAK Museum Vienna, MAXXI Rome, La Biennale di Venezia, and several distinguished biennials including those in Istanbul, Shenzhen, Chicago, Rotterdam, and Lisbon. Academically, he is poised to enhance discussions on urban inequality with his upcoming book collaboration, "Cohabitation Strategies: Challenging Neoliberal Urbanization Between Crisis," set for a 2025 release by ORO Editions. His critical insights into capitalist urban dynamics are also articulated in the book "Urban Asymmetries: Studies and Projects on Neoliberal Urbanization," where he serves as both co-author and co-editor, exploring the intricacies and destructive forces of neoliberal urbanization.

Research Interests

Urban Political-Ecology, Marxist Political-Economy, Urbanism, Critical Human Geography, Equitable Housing, Urban Theory, Urban Policy, Public Infrastructure, Urban Strategy, Socially-Engaged Urban Practice, Social Urbanism, Eco-Socialism, Cultural Politics.

Portfolio

http://www.cohstra.org/

https://www.urban-front.com/

https://www.politicsinmotion.org/

https://www.shapeofcitiestocome.org/