(Replay) 004: Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman: Cities, Women, and Urban Anthropology

Replaying our episode with Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman. 

Katrina is an urban anthropologist that specializes in human behavior in public spaces. In 2019, she was selected as one of the BBC's 100 Influential Women Around the World and currently works as a data fellow for the City of Philadelphia within the Smart Cities Department doing research on data equity and privacy. She is dedicated to the improvement of public space, with extensive experience teaching and researching the topics we speak about.  

We talk about:

- What is urban anthropology and how did it grow from the work of Jane Jacobs and Holly Whyte?

- Surprising things you find in the city and what stories those items tell.

- How cities identify and address problems to improve life for residents.

- We discuss urban design improvements and lessons learned from the South Street Headhouse Square District, Barcelona, and Çatalhöyük.

- Katrina shines a light on the bias of cities and how these biases impact layout, function, and policy.

- We talk about strategies to invoke the spirit of urban anthropology in your professional and personal life. 

- I ask Katrina her opinion regarding the rising trend of suburban "Fake Downtowns", public space, and decentralization.

Other Episodes You Might Like:

002: Martha Cross: Planners Build Trust and Communities

020: Dena Prastos: Pairing Architecture and Engineering for Resilient Waterfronts

014: Patrícia Akinaga: Impactful Landscape Architecture in the US and Brazil

040: Melissa Daniel: Why/ How Architecture is Political

038: Olivia Asuncion: Architect, Ramp Enthusiast, and Accessibility Advocate