Nabil Kamel

Professor, Department Chair

About

Dr. Nabil Kamel earned a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from UCLA where he was affiliated with the Institute of Transportation Studies, North American Integration and Development Center (NAID), the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, the Anderson Forecast, and other leading research and policy centers. He taught at UCLA and ASU prior to joining WWU in 2015. Dr. Kamel’s academic interests address issues of social and environmental justice, uneven urban development, and urban informality. His areas of professional expertise include housing and community development, urban design, regional and international development, and long-term post-disaster recovery planning.

Dr. Kamel teaches courses in planning theory, political economy of urbanization, social justice and the city, and urban design. He also teach a summer global studies course: “the City and Everyday Life” in Southern Italy.

His most recent projects cover a broad range of issues, from the effects of urban changes on the music industry ecosystem in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC, to homelessness in the state of Washington. Currently, he is working on investigating the relationship between urban informality, new social movements, and spaces of resistance. His latest research explores the reproduction of urban spaces and everyday life in refugee camps in various parts of the world. 

Education

Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles (2005). Department of Urban Planning. School of Public Policy and Social Research.

Research Interests

  • Urbanization processes
  • Social justice in the city
  • Urban informality
  • Urban political economy
  • Planning theory
  • Urban design
  • Post-disaster recovery
  • Research methods