Marta Alonso Provencio

Marta Alonso Provencio is a lecturer at the University of Geneva, where she has been responsible for the urban project workshop of the Master's in Territorial Development since 2015. She simultaneously serves as a project manager at the City of Lausanne since 2019, effectively bridging academic research with municipal planning practice.

She earned her architecture degree from the Polytechnic of Madrid in 2009 and completed her doctorate in geography at the University of Lausanne in 2016, receiving the Faculty Prize for her dissertation 'Market Urbanities: Trade in the Production of Urban Quality and its Regulations.' Her educational background combines technical architectural training with advanced geographical analysis of urban processes.

Alonso Provencio's research focuses on the complex relationship between commercial activities and urban quality, examining how retail shapes public spaces and how planning interventions can enhance sustainable urban environments. Her interests span Architecture and Urban Planning, with particular attention to Design Methodologies, Commodification of Public Space, City Production Processes, and Operational Urban Planning. She approaches urban studies through both theoretical frameworks and practical applications, informed by her international professional experience.

Her publication record reveals consistent thematic development across more than a decade, moving from case studies of Lausanne's commercial centers to broader theoretical examinations of retail planning's role in creating sustainable urbanity. Her work increasingly addresses spatial justice concerns and interdisciplinary approaches to urban design education, reflecting evolving priorities in urban studies.

• Faculty Prize, 2016 (University of Lausanne)

As an educator, she has directed master's theses including 'The Right to the Lake: Publicizing the Shores and Putting It to the Test of Operationalization' (2022) and 'Intangible Urban Planning: The Project Through Living, a Land for Weeds?' (2018). Her teaching emphasizes project-based learning through workshops like 'The City Factory' and 'NORTH Territory Project,' fostering practical skills alongside theoretical understanding.

With over ten years of professional experience across three countries—working with Aybar-Mateos in Spain, SANAA in Japan, and Esplanade Aménagement in Switzerland—she brings substantial international perspective to her academic work, allowing for comparative analysis of urban planning approaches across different cultural contexts.