Marco Allegra
I was born in Novara, Italy, and received my academic training in Torino and London (Laurea, International relations, University of Torino; MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies, SOAS - University of London; PhD Political Science, University of Torino).
I am currently Principal Investigator at ICS-ULisboa, and Associate Researcher at CIES-IUL. I have previously worked as lecturer and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Torino (2008-2011) and at CIES-IUL (2011-2015) and have been visiting researcher at the Department of Politics and Government of the Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva (2012) and at the Department of Culture, Politics and Society of the University of Turin (2018).
At ICS-ULisboa, I chair the Urban Transition Hub (https://urbantransitionshub.org/blog/) and teach in the PhD programme in Development Studies (ULisboa). I have been coordinator (2016-2019) of the FCT-funded project "exPERts: Making Sense of Planning Expertise: housing policy and the role of experts in the Programa Especial de Realojamento (PER)"; and team member (2018-2021) of the project "HOPES - HOusing PErspectives and Struggles. Futures of housing movements, policies and dynamics in Lisbon and beyond".
In 2019, I have been among the founders of the National Network of Housing Studies (Rede H - Rede de Estudos sobre Habitação https://www.redehabitacao.pt/) and member of the Rede’s board between 2019 and 2022. Since 2023, I have been board member of the Social Movements Research Network (Council for European Studies, https://councilforeuropeanstudies.org/membership/research-networks/socia...).
I am currently working on three main projects:
(a) a study of the governance of local housing strategies in Portugal (as the PI of the project LOGO, 2023-2025; FCT research grant €250.000; ref. 2022.03719.PTDC);
(b) a study on affordable housing strategies (as a team member of the project DASH, 2023-2026; European Commission Marie Curie Staff Exchange action €670,000; ref. 101086488);
(c) a study on housing activism and urban change in Lisbon, informed by the idea of action research and co-production.
The common thread running through my scholarly work is the interest for the spatial and urban dimension of politics, democracy and governance. My research has focused on Middle East politics and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; on planning conflicts and contested cities; on the role of knowledge and expertise in the policy process (with a specific focus on spatial planning and housing policy); and the relation between urban governance, social movements, and the dynamics of production of space.
My publications (in English, Italian, Portuguese, and Hebrew) include articles in journals such as Political Geography, Citizenship Studies, Mediterranean Politics, The Geography Compass, Environment and Planning A, Urban Studies, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Dialogues in Human Geography, Planning Theory and Practice, European Planning Studies. I am the author of a monograph on the history of Palestinian people (Carocci 2010); of an edited volume on planning conflicts (with Enrico Gualini and João Mourato, Jovis 2015); and an edited volume on Israel's settlement policy in the West Bank (with Ariel Handel and Erez Maggor, Indiana University Press 2017).
I have received grants and awards from institutions in different countries, including the Fundação da Ciência e Tecnologia (PT), the Fondation Les Treilles (FR), the DAD (DE), the Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (IT), the AESOP (EU), the Minerva Humanities Center of Tel Aviv University (IL). I have reviewed papers for various scholarly journals (including Political Geography; Territory, Politics and Governance; Urban Studies; British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies; Citizenship Studies; Environment and Planning D; Sociétés Politiques Comparées; Cities; Geography Research Forum; Etnografia e ricerca qualitative; Space and Polity), as well as grant applications for the Israeli Science Foundation. n 2015 I was awarded the Italian National Scientific Qualification (Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale, ASN) in Geography.