Education

• PhD: University of Helsinki, 2016
• MSc: University of Helsinki, 2011
• BSc: University of Helsinki, 2009

Annika Airas is an urban scholar whose work centres around planning, policy, and related urban redevelopment practices. Her teaching and research focuses on sustainability, intercultural learning, and urban waterfront change. Drawing on her Nordic background, Annika brings a comparative lens to her work in Urban Studies, and uses empirical examples from diverse historical, cultural, and linguistic contexts to study urban change.

As part of her teaching and research, she advances experiential learning opportunities, including field trips, workshops, and an international field school. Her work has been published in journals such as Cities and the Canadian Journal of Urban Research, as well as in edited volumes such as Waterways and the Cultural Landscape and Urban Social Sustainability (Routledge).

Annika is currently a co-principal investigator on the multi-year (2023-2028) SSHRC-funded research project SAGA, that investigates and advances sustainability transitions across language and context. Previously, as a visiting scholar at SFU she was also involved in the SSHRC-funded multidisciplinary ReClaiming the New Westminster Waterfront research project.