Isabelle obtained a PhD in Urban Studies & Planning (MIT) before returning to Europe in 2011 with a Marie Curie fellowship. Situated at the intersection of urban planning and policy, social inequality and development studies, her research examines the extent to which urban plans, policies, and socio-environmental interventions contribute to more just, resilient, healthy, and sustainable cities. She also studies how community groups in distressed neighborhoods contest the existence or exacerbation of environmental inequities as a result of urban (re)development processes. Based at UAB-ICTA where she leads the research line on Cities & Environmental Justice, she is also an affiliated researcher at IMIM where she directs the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice & Sustainability (BCNUEJ). Much of her work takes place in marginalized urban neighborhoods who are resisting displacement in Europe, the US, L. America, S. Africa, and S.E Asia.

Research interests

I am a social scientist trained in urban and environmental planning (PhD, MIT, 2011), nonprofit management (Harvard University, 2004), international development (University de Paris-1 Sorbonne, 2001), and political studies (Science Po, 2000). Before starting my PhD in 2006, I held several positions in international development NGOs in France and the US. As part of collaborative EU and international research projects, I study 1) the extent to which environmental gentrification processes lead to new forms of green locally unwanted land uses (GREENLULUs – ERC Starting Grant (2016-2021) in historically marginalized neighborhoods, 2) how municipalities protect vulnerable communities from climate risks and inequality, 3) what opportunities and constraints exist to transitioning towards a low-carbon economy within European urban regions, 4) how the governance of urban nature-based solutions planning in Europe addresses (or exacerbates) environmental injustices.