Ana Paula Pimentel Walker

Ana Paula Pimentel Walker is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Her work focuses on participatory urban governance, social justice, and environmental sustainability, particularly in disenfranchised communities across Brazil and Michigan. She teaches graduate courses in comparative housing, community development, and urban planning law.

• Research funded by the National Science Foundation and the Foundation for Urban and Regional Studies
• PhD in Anthropology (UC San Diego), MUP and MA in Latin American Studies (UCLA), Law Degree (University of Cruz Alta, Brazil)

Her research includes three major projects: institutional designs for socially inclusive cities, legal conflicts in housing and environmental rights, and Michigan-based migrant-run organizations. She actively advocates against pandemic-era evictions, framing them as violations of the right to life.

Recent scientific recognition includes the 2025 Award for Activist Urban Planning Research. Her publications span participatory policy councils, housing policy failures, and institutional racism in urban governance.