Faculty

Profile

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Miguel Robles-Durán is an urbanist, theorist, designer, educator and podcaster. His work is distinguished by a transdisciplinary approach to urbanization that integrates urban political ecology, Marxist political economy, critical human geography, and progressive urban planning and policy advocacy. 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 appointment 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, and at the Zürich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in Switzerland.

Miguel Robles-Durán, in collaboration with his longstanding partner David Harvey, has established multiple ventures focused on advancing urban justice internationally. Together, they established Urban Front, a transnational consultancy with a presence in South America, North America, and Europe, engaging with progressive governments to support initiatives that advocate for The Right to the City. Robles-Durán also co-founded Politics In Motion, a non-profit anti-capitalist media organization, hosting his own YouTube series and podcast, "Cities After." Here, he critically examines the capitalist contradictions of urbanization and envisions alternative urban futures. Their partnership also led to the establishment and co-direction of the National Center for the Right to the Territory (CENEDET) in Ecuador from 2013 to 2017.

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 policy, cultural production, territorial development, public infrastructure, urban economics, environmental 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/