Thomas Dawance

Thomas Dawance is a PhD Researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel's Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research, affiliated with the Society and Ageing Research Lab. His work focuses on urban sociology, community land trusts (CLTs), and intergenerational living dynamics. He has contributed to the CALICO project, evaluating care and housing models in Brussels. His research intersects gender studies, social policy, and urban development.

Education:

• Master's thesis: "Le 'chez soi' comme architecture de l'altérité: Introspection dans l'intimité partagée de l'hébergement solidaire" (2019) supervised by Prof. Véronique Brunfaut.

Research Interests: Dawance explores how CLTs can reconfigure urban spaces through community-led approaches. He analyzes housing cooperatives' role in social inclusion, gender dynamics in shared habitats, and policy frameworks enabling sustainable urban living. His work emphasizes participatory methods and critical perspectives on social production of housing.

Activities & Collaborations: Conducted 53 activities (2019-2023) including consultancy for Innoviris' CTRL H project, presentations at academic workshops, and public lectures on CLTs. Engaged with Bruxelles.Logement and other urban policy actors.

Labs/Teams: Active in Cosmopolis Centre's urban research initiatives and collaborates with the Society and Ageing Research Lab on intergenerational studies.