Gala Nettelbladt

Gala Nettelbladt is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Institute for European Urban Studies (IfEU) at Bauhaus University Weimar's Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. She is also an associate member at the DFG-funded Research Training Group "Urban Future-Making" at HafenCity University Hamburg.

Dr. Nettelbladt received her PhD in Urban Sociology summa cum laude from Humboldt University of Berlin, where she researched municipal governance of contemporary far-right contestations. She holds an MRes in Interdisciplinary Urban Design with Distinction from the Bartlett School of Planning (UCL) and a BA in European Studies with First Class Honours from King's College London and Sciences Po Paris.

Her research centers on socio-political conflicts and negotiations in cities, critically examining the role of civil society, planning and state authorities in navigating today's multiple crises, such as the rise of the far right and climate change. Her current postdoctoral project "The Contentious Politics of Planning for Water Scarcity" traces planning conflicts around water scarcity in Germany and the UK. Her scholarly work demonstrates consistent focus on how urban spaces become sites of political contestation, particularly around issues of water governance and far-right movements.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong thematic consistency across two primary research strands: urban water governance and planning responses to far-right politics. Her work bridges theoretical urban studies with practical planning challenges, often employing qualitative methodologies to examine local case studies in Germany and the UK.

• AESOP Young Academics Best Paper Prize 2021
• Departmental Award, The Bartlett School of Planning, UCL (2017)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, KSB Stiftung Stipendium (DAAD-Stiftung) (2025)
• PhD scholarship, Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (2020-2022)

Dr. Nettelbladt is an active member of the editorial collective of sub\urban, zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung, an open-access journal funded by the DFG. Her academic service includes previous visiting professorships at HafenCity University Hamburg and scholarly engagement at the University of Cambridge. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates political sociology, urban planning, and environmental governance to address pressing urban challenges in contemporary Europe.