Reimagining Port Cities: Space, Society and Culture

Carola Hein serves as Professor and Chair of History of Architecture and Urban Planning at Delft University of Technology, where she also holds the UNESCO Chair Water, Ports and Historic Cities. Her academic journey began at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, where she earned her doctorate in 1995 with a dissertation on "The Capital of Europe." She brings extensive international experience, having held positions at Bryn Mawr College, Tokyo Science University, and various Japanese institutions. Her research focuses on the intersection of architecture, urban planning, and global networks, particularly examining port cities and the architecture of oil. She received prestigious recognitions including a Guggenheim Fellowship for research on The Global Architecture of Oil and an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship to study urban transformation in Hamburg. As director of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus PortCityFutures Centre, she investigates the evolution of port city regions and their cultural heritage. Her influential publications include "The Routledge Planning History Handbook," "Port Cities: Dynamic Landscapes and Global Networks," and "Adaptive Strategies for Water Heritage." She currently leads the "Major Changes" chair at the Paris Institute for Advanced Studies, focusing on water and heritage through the lens of Paris and the Ile-de-France region. Her work bridges historical analysis with contemporary development, particularly examining how port cities adapt to challenges like climate change, migration, and urbanization.