Prof. Dr. Lindsay Howe

Academic Career and Research Areas

Lindsay Blair Howe’s research describes urbanization as a dialectical process with both social and geographical dimensions. Her approaches include original digital and mixed-method tools, such as the use of volunteered geographic information, alongside established qualitative urban research methods from the social sciences. Her transdisciplinary work is often conducted in collaboration, bridging across Europe and Africa, and emphasizes the importance of everyday life and people’s lived experiences in understanding and theorizing urban space.

Lindsay Blair Howe was born in Berkeley, California and completed her undergraduate degree in Architecture and Global Culture & Commerce at the University of Virginia. After several years practicing in the United States and Germany, she completed her master’s and PhD degrees in Architecture & Urban Studies at the ETH Zurich in Switzerland. After further postdoctoral research and a lectureship at the ETHZ, she was appointed Professor of Architecture & Society at the University of Liechtenstein until joining TUM in 2025.

Awards

• Liechtenstein National Research Foundation Publication Prize recipient (2023)
• ETH Zürich gta Verlag Architektonisches Wissen Publication Prize finalist (2018)
• Swiss National Science Foundation Doc.Mobility grant recipient (2016)
• Sawiris Foundation grant recipient for PhD thesis with ETH4D (2014)
• UrbanSOS Aecom Frontiers Competition semi-finalist for MSc thesis (2012)