Faiza Moatasim

Faiza Moatasim is an Associate Professor of Architecture in Urbanism and Urban Design at the USC School of Architecture, University of Southern California. She holds a B.Arch from the National College of Arts (Lahore), an M.Arch in Minimum Cost Housing from McGill University (Montreal), and a PhD in History and Theory of Architecture from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).

Her research focuses on modern colonial/post-colonial urbanism, urban informality, and low-income housing. She explores how marginalized communities and elites reshape cities through informal practices, challenging rigid master plans. Her award-winning book *Master Plans and Encroachments: The Architecture of Informality in Islamabad* (2023) redefines informality as a strategic engagement with legal frameworks, not merely lawlessness. Current research examines displacement of vendors and tenants in Los Angeles.

Moatasim teaches courses on architectures of occupation/resistance, slums and cities, and modern urban design. Her work appears in *Urban Studies*, *Antipode*, and others. Awards include grants from the Graham Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and Mellon Foundation.

Her investigations into spatial justice and urban equity have shaped interdisciplinary discourse, linking architecture to political economy and social justice. Recent projects include analyzing anti-homeless urban policies and documenting informal spatial practices in global cities.