Bianca-Maria Nardella

Bianca-Maria Nardella is a Lecturer (Teaching) in urban design and historic cities transformations at University College London's Bartlett School of Planning, bringing over twenty years of professional experience in urban design, heritage conservation and sustainable urban development. Her interdisciplinary background spans architecture, urban design, and social sciences from academic training across Italy, the US, and UK.

Education:

• PhD in Policy Studies and Urban Conservation (part-time), University College London, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (2024, in progress)
• Master of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston (2001)
• Laurea, Universita degli Studi di Ferrara, Italy (1998)

Nardella's research explores the complex intersections between international policy frameworks and local practices in historic urban environments, with particular focus on non-Western contexts including Islamicate and Mediterranean historic cities, and more recently Asian urban settings. Her work critically examines how colonial legacies, epistemological frameworks, and contemporary political transformations shape urban conservation practices and outcomes. She adopts a postcolonial perspective to interrogate the production of international cultural heritage knowledge, advocating for methodologies that prioritize local knowledge systems and contingent practices over bureaucratic rationality.

Her publications reveal a consistent research trajectory examining the implementation challenges of international urban conservation policies, particularly in contexts experiencing political transformation like Tunis during the Arab Spring. Nardella's work demonstrates how international development frameworks often overlook historical and epistemological complexities that underpin institutional conflicts in urban conservation. Her scholarship bridges theoretical critique with practical insights from fieldwork in multiple historic cities across different geopolitical contexts.

Teaching and Supervision:

• Current Coordinator for MSc specialism 'Investigating transformations in historic cities'
• Year 1 Undergraduate Tutor at The Bartlett School of Planning
• Supervisor for BPLN0039 Dissertation in Planning (since 2018)
• Module Coordinator for BPLN0032 Critical Debates in Urban Design (2024-25)

Nardella is actively engaged with the BSP Urban Design research group and contributes to UCL's Sustainable Development Goals initiatives, particularly focusing on Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Quality Education (SDG 4), and Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3) through her teaching and research on historic urban environments.