Bio
I am a qualitative researcher with a PhD in Urban Planning, I have a bachelor in economics and history, and I love working on projects that combine careful empirical work with policy and ethnographic writing.
I am curious and passionate about translating knowledge into clear and useful insights that can lead to actions that improve the wellbeing of people. I like to experiment with different methodologies of analysis, failing a little here and there to identify strengths and limitations across approaches. I enjoy writing and I hope my work is fun to read. I hope my work can connect individual experiences with structural conditions impacting the lives of many.
Work
I am the Data Storytelling and Public Narrative Officer at Namati and a Leading Edge ACLS fellow.
Namati is a legal empowerment organization advancing social and environmental justice by building a movement of people who know, use, and shape the law. I have joined these efforts by putting forward a strategy to use data, stories, and storytelling to drive change. As part of my work I have conducted several skill session with legal empowerment practitioners, I have created a story series about paralegals and organizing practices. I have also supported the implementation of different research projects.
Writing
I like to write about unexpected encounters with objects, people, and spaces that make me wonder: What happened here? What is the story behind what we see?
Like the house to the left; an abandoned building with black bold inscription over white paint that says: This is not a haunted house. Do not enter. It is not being demolished for lack of authorization.
I love to use writing as a speculation tool to reflect about spaces like this one and what they represent to the people who use them.
Research
My research explores dynamic relations between space and communities. It often includes policy analysis and an effort to balance and combine critical thinking with practical policy recommendations.
As an urban social scientist, I have engaged with questions related to access to land and housing, neighborhood formation, transformation and financing of urban infrastructure, urban redevelopment, and rural to urban migration. My work complements interviewing and participant observation methodologies with spatial and statistical analysis.
At home and elsewhere
I enjoy travelling, outdoors, board games with my sisters, books, dancing, and absorbing good amounts of science fiction with my husband. I am the mom of one little guy who smiles a lot and loves to scratch funny textures. I work full time to make him keep smiling. I am originally from Colombia but do not live there anymore. I visit every time I can and this is a country that has shaped my thoughts and questions about the world.
I enjoy working with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra in the background.
Contact
- mariaatuesta@namati.org