NezHapi-Dellé Odeleye

Dr. NezHapi-Dellé Odeleye is an Associate Professor of Urban Design & Planning at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), serving as Director of Research Students within the Faculty of Science and Engineering's School of Engineering and the Built Environment. With 18 years of professional experience across private, public, and third sectors, she brings practical expertise as a former Architect and Principal Planner to her academic work, including significant contributions to the first London Plan (Strategic Spatial Strategy) as a Strategic Planner on sustainable urban design.

Dr. Odeleye's educational background includes:

• PhD in Urban Design from Oxford Brookes University
• MPhil in Town Planning with Distinction from University College London (UCL)
• BSc in Architectural Studies & BArch in Architecture from Cardiff University
• PG Cert in Higher Education from Anglia Ruskin University

Her research explores the intersections of time, identity, and agency within urban environments, with a particular focus on sustainable design, spatial justice, and the cultural dimensions of urban planning. Dr. Odeleye has developed specialized expertise examining indigenous knowledge systems in urban design, generative justice frameworks, and the impact of media technology on place identities. Her work often bridges theoretical urban studies with practical applications through community engagement initiatives like the 'Changing Chelmsford' project, which evolved into annual Ideas Festivals and creative Ideas Hub platforms.

Dr. Odeleye's scholarly trajectory demonstrates consistent evolution from energy efficiency in heritage buildings toward more complex explorations of temporal dimensions in urban planning, resilience in Global South contexts, and community-based alternatives to conventional housing models through initiatives like Community Land Trusts. Her recent publications (2023-2025) reveal an increasing focus on integrating time-based analysis with spatial justice frameworks while maintaining strong connections to practical urban challenges.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through:

• Sustainable Development & Urban Spaces Paper Award at the SEEDS International Conference, University of Suffolk, UK (2019)
• UnLtd-HEA Social Entrepreneurship Award (SEA) (2013)

As an educator, Dr. Odeleye has supervised numerous postgraduate researchers while teaching across multiple programs including MSc Town Planning (2014-present), Urban Design, and Architecture. She has led significant research projects including the British Council-Newton funded HERALD project (2019-2020) on Heritage-Led Resilience Approach to Smart and Sustainable Urban Development in Turkey. Her community engagement extends through collaborative urbanism initiatives involving students, practitioners, community organizers, and stakeholders in re-imagining urban development pathways.