Gareth A. Jones

Professor Gareth A. Jones is a Professor of Urban Geography and Director of the MSc Urbanisation & Development programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His research focuses on cities, urban policy, and social inequality, with a particular emphasis on gated communities, gentrification, gangs, and violence in Latin America and South Africa. He has led major projects funded by the British Academy, ESRC-NWO-DFG, and the European Research Council, exploring topics such as food infrastructure in Brazilian favelas and the commodification of urban poverty. From 2016 to 2022, he directed the LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre, which managed £4.1 million in grants and became a leading international resource on the region.

Research Interests:

• Urban infrastructure and well-being in favelas
• Ethnographic studies of youth violence in Mexico and gangs globally
• Commodification of urban poverty and inequality in cities like Kingston and Rio de Janeiro
• Class dynamics and exclusionary practices in South African gated estates

Grants and Collaborations: Over £4.1 million in research grants, collaborations with universities in Brazil, South Africa, Germany, and the US, and advisory roles in global projects. His work integrates fieldwork, policy analysis, and interdisciplinary methodologies.

Labs/Teams: Collaborations include the LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre, Insper (Brazil), University of Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the European Research Council’s global gang ethnography project.