Master Class: Research Designs and Methods for Comparative Urban Research

31st March 2025

Elisa Volpi, UNIGE

Francesco Sarti, UNIL

Prof. Dr. David Kaufamnn, ETH Zürich

Metropolitan areas have emerged as the dominant form of human settlement, playing a central role in addressing today's most pressing challenges. These include tackling socio-spatial inequalities, facilitating immigrant integration, navigating digital transformations, and taming the climate crisis.

Urban studies, as an interdisciplinary field encompassing political science, sociology, geography, and anthropology, employs a wide range of methods to analyze urban politics and policies. These approaches span from ethnographic studies to advanced quantitative analysis and draw on cases from diverse geographic contexts. The field is evolving beyond its traditional Western-centric foundations, embracing perspectives from across the globe.

This methodological masterclass offers an in-depth overview of the most effective methods and empirical strategies employed by leading researchers to compare urban settings. It aims to equip participants with insights into both established practices and innovative approaches for conducting comparative urban research.

The masterclass is structured in two parts:

1. Introductory Lecture

In the initial segment, Prof. Kaufmann will provide a foundational overview of comparison in urban studies. This includes methodological considerations such as case selection, defining units of analysis, and crafting robust research designs. He will also address specific challenges faced in urban research, including access to data, conducting fieldwork (and related ethical dilemmas), generalizability, and the risks of "miscomparing".

2. Interactive Discussions and Feedback
The second and longer part is dedicated to engaging directly with PhD students' research questions and specific challenges. Participants will receive individual feedback from Prof. Kaufmann. Furthermore, students will benefit from each other's comments. 

Altogether, the masterclass fosters an interactive and tailored learning environment. It is an opportunity for urban scholars seeking to refine their comparative methodologies and advance their PhD research.

Lausanne

Requirements

This masterclass is exclusively designed for PhD students. Participants are required to submit their thesis research proposal, methodological chapter, article, or a draft of their research design no later than Monday, March 17. Participants can also prepare specific methodological questions they might have.

About the speaker:

David Kaufmann: Assistant Professor of Spatial Development and Urban Policy at ETH Zürich. Director of the Network City and Landscape and as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development (both at ETH Zürich). Urban studies scholar interested in policy, planning, and migration studies.

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