Anne Vogelpohl

Anne Vogelpohl serves as an interim Professor of Social Sciences and Social Policy at the Department of Social Work within the Faculty of Business & Social Sciences at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg). She also holds the position of Equal Opportunities Officer in her faculty, demonstrating her commitment to diversity and inclusion in academic settings. Her academic work bridges geography, sociology, and social policy, with a particular focus on critical urban studies and social inequality. She is based at Alexanderstrasse 1, 20099 Hamburg in Room 4.29.

Dr. Vogelpohl earned her PhD in 2012 on the flexibilization of work and neighborhood change, with theoretical focus on Henri Lefebvre's work. Prior to her current position at HAW Hamburg, she was a research associate at the Institute of Geography at the University of Hamburg (2013-2018), where she investigated the role of private management consultancies in urban policy. She also worked in the transatlantic graduate school Berlin-New York at TU Berlin and NYU New York between 2008 and 2010.

Her research focuses on critical urban studies, examining the intersections of social inequality, urban policy, and political economy. She specializes in analyzing how management consulting firms influence urban governance and policymaking, with particular attention to gendered dimensions of urban transformation. Her work on housing policy, precarious work, and social movements has contributed significantly to understanding contemporary urban challenges in Germany and beyond. She employs qualitative social science methods and feminist methodologies to explore how urban spaces are produced, contested, and experienced differently across social groups. Her theoretical work centers on Henri Lefebvre's theories, particularly the 'right to the city' concept.

Dr. Vogelpohl's recent publications reveal a growing emphasis on the role of private expertise in public policy, particularly during crises like the pandemic, and the gendered dimensions of care work and urban transformation. Her work consistently connects theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of contemporary urban phenomena, bridging critical theory with practical policy concerns.

Among her notable contributions is her leadership in feminist geography networks, having co-edited the 'Handbuch Feministische Geographien' and organized celebrations of 30 years of feminist geographies in German-speaking countries. Her work has appeared in leading journals including Antipode, Urban Studies, and International Journal for Urban and Regional Research.

Dr. Vogelpohl leads several significant research projects including 'Care Transformations – Interdisciplinary Care Work Research' (2020-2023, LFF Hamburg), 'TransZ - Transformation of Urban Centers' (2020-2022, BMBF), and previously directed DFG-funded research on management consulting and urban policy (2014-2018). Her research has been supported by various funding bodies including the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

She has contributed to understanding urban social movements, particularly around housing rights in cities like Hamburg, Berlin, Jena, and Leipzig, and has examined the impact of management consulting on urban governance through multiple empirical studies. Her work connects theoretical insights with practical implications for more equitable urban development and policy-making processes.