Dialogues on strengthening equitable partnerships
30 October 2023
Marcelle Mardon
Researcher (urban poverty and informality), Human Settlements research group
Marcelle is an architect with a passion for community-led sustainable urban development, during the last 10 years focusing on urban infrastructure, housing, health, livelihood improvement and in particular their interlinkages with gender equality.
She works alongside community-based organisations, urban practitioners and researchers working in the sub-Saharan context to co-produce solutions aimed at reducing urban poverty and inequality while advocating for increased agency and building governance capacity of communities at grassroots.
Expertise
Slum upgrading; community-led urban development; water, sanitation and hygiene; gender; urban livelihood initiatives; urban health.
Before IIED
- Co-lead sustainable communities and environment WEI forward, researcher on the intersection of gender, affordable housing and climate change in Rwanda
- Consultant WASH community engagement intervention for joint project ICLI & Ferrovial, Rwanda
- Consultant on joint project KoopSF34, Council of Europe and City Council of Bilbao for migrant community engagement
Education
- Masters, sustainable construction and energy efficiency, University of Basque Country
- BArch, architecture, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- BA, architectural studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Current work
Marcelle is currently consulting on project development towards a city-wide approach to urban slum upgrading as well as the mobilisation of resources for urban resilience fund initiatives with local partners in Zimbabwe.
As a member of MIT SIS Research group, she is currently working on an online course, in partnership with community-based organisations in the global South, mapping the impact of COVID-19 on informal settlements, as well as research proposals on the impact of climate change in slums in Zimbabwe.
As subject matter expert at UrbanHealth360, she is currently contributing to its masterclass development, focusing on sustainable housing and urban health research.
