She is awarded for best student thesis

Motivation: The thesis stands out by combining geographic information system (GIS) analysis with a feminist and intersectional perspective on safety in urban environments. By mapping experiences of safety and insecurity in Umeå, Hillerbrand Martín demonstrates how urban planning can promote social justice and inclusion. This work makes an important contribution to geographical research and to the development of more equitable urban spaces.

Three Questions for Lisa Hillebrand Martín

What does it mean to receive the award for best student thesis?
It was a very pleasant surprise. Besides being a recognition of my own work, I also see it as an acknowledgment of the teachers in the master’s program and of my supervisor. I really enjoyed the entire program, and the environment truly sparked my curiosity for geographic information tools. That motivated me a lot in working on the thesis. The award also came at a time when I was trying to pursue an academic career, so it became an important confirmation for me. I took it as a sign that I was on the right track.

Why did you choose to write about this topic?
I have a background in architecture, sustainable urban development, and development cooperation. I have always been interested in the social aspects of architecture and urban planning, and in how design can create more inclusive and resilient environments. During the program, I did a project on safety in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, as part of a larger research project on “basic habitability.” Since then, I have been very interested in how design affects people’s autonomy through fear, violence, and security, from a critical, feminist, and intersectional perspective. So when it came time to choose a topic for my master’s thesis, it was quite obvious: I wanted to explore how far GIS tools can take us in analyzing urban perceptions of safety and demonstrate the value of participatory methods and situated knowledge.

What are you doing now?
I am currently pursuing a PhD at the Department of Geography, Media and Communication at Karlstad University. The subject I am researching is closely related to what I worked on in my master’s thesis and actually grew directly out of that work. One of the conclusions in the thesis was that the private/household sphere should be considered an important part of urban studies on violence and safety, since more than half of all gender-based violence occurs in the home. In my doctoral research, I therefore study geographies of domestic violence. I aim to understand how different spaces and environments affect survivors’ material and symbolic access to support networks, and how these networks in turn influence survivors’ spatial movements toward safer environments.