Demetra Kourri
Lecturer in Architectural Humanities, Manchester School of Architecture
I completed my PhD at the University of Manchester under the guidance of Prof. Albena Yaneva and Prof. Graham Haughton, with a thesis titled “A Tunnel of Many Worlds: Unfolding the Blanka Controversy”. My research explores the relationship between infrastructures of mobility and the urban environment and addresses the need to rethink these structures as integral social and material constituents of the urban. I hold an MA in Urban Theory from Parsons, The New School, and have worked as a research assistant at the Tishman Environment and Design Centre in New York City. Some of my past research focuses on public participation practices in transit planning in NYC, dissecting the relationships of local community boards and transit authorities and pinpointing their disconnections at both local and state levels. Since May 2022, I have taken on the role of full-time lecturer in Architectural Humanities at the Manchester School of Architecture. In early 2023, I was selected for the Humanities Lead in Architecture position at MSA. As part of the competitive selection process, I presented a comprehensive three-year plan for developing Architectural Humanities across all school programmes and suggested collaboration opportunities among three Manchester Universities. I am passionate about providing positive educational experiences for the new generation of architects and urbanists through teaching strategies that combine urban history, theory and pragmatic methodological approaches. I recently received a commendation at the 2025 SCOSA Architectural Teaching Awards.
Link
d.kourri@mmu.ac.uk
Expertise
I am an interdisciplinary researcher in Architecture and Urbanism and a qualified Architect (ETEK) with professional experience in the UK, the US, and Cyprus. My teaching focuses on creating cross-disciplinary dialogues between architecture and its adjacent disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences. I’m interested in exploring new theoretical and methodological approaches to studying infrastructures in the making as complex networks of things and people that co-exist and co-evolve with other forms of urban mobility. I am a founding member of the first Cyprus Transport Network. As a transit consultant, I work with stakeholders to improve mobility conditions for local communities.
Relevant Projects
- “For Limassol” | Sustainability Plan 2031 for the City of Limassol, Cyprus | 2020 – 2021
- Studios at 219: Feasibility Study & Business Plan | Community Development Finance Lab Team in Partnership with the Trenton Downtown Association | 2016
- Economic Development Plan in Borough Park, Brooklyn | Consultant for Urban Policy Lab | 2016
- “Linea 7” Project: Aiming to Introduce a New Understanding of Urban Power and Politics | Design & Urban Ecologies Studio Team | Parsons School of Design | 2014
