How was your education path before starting the Master in Urban Studies?
I studied political science in Brussels as I was mostly interested in international relations and global political economic developments. At the end of that bachelor’s, I felt I wanted to specialize. I have always been interested in urban economy and links to infrastructure and mobility investments. I knew it was already always kind of out there, but I never explored it academically. And then I simply saw the urban studies master’s, and it looked very interesting, especially because there was really this freedom to explore your own niche. You can really find your own little ways.
How was your experience with the master?
When I applied, it was COVID, so I was also a bit unsure of what was going to happen. But then I did apply, and I got into Cohort 4, and it was an amazing experience overall. At first, I was a bit unsure in what ways this master would feed me and what I would feed into it. I was kind of swaying between, indeed, urban economy dynamics, but also mobility interests and also cultural policy. Then I started to get into urban entrepreneurial dynamics and how global interstitial competitions affect urban policies, and I think that’s what I found the most interesting. That’s what I was able to do my master’s dissertation on. That was nice about this master: I think that you really have the freedom to explore. A lot of people say that masters are meant for specializing. But for me, my master’s was definitely not that. It was still very much about feeling what I like and what I do not like. After MUS, I did a second master’s and for me that was more about specializing. I think it was very enriching overall.
Do you have a favorite memory from the two years of the master?
It definitely was the week in Paris for the Excursion course. The beautiful thing was that I was living in Paris at the time for my internship, so I was kind of at home. Everybody was there, and it was just a good time.
"That was nice about this master: I think that you really have the freedom to explore. (...) My master was still very much about feeling what I like and what I do not like. (...) I think it was very enriching overall."
You said you have done a second master after MUS. How was that experience?
What was, in my opinion, lacking the most in the Urban Studies master’s was the Global South perspective. At the time, there was a new scholarship program from the Flemish Government called the Fayat Scholarship, which gave you the opportunity to study at a good university abroad, mainly in the UK and in the United States. For me, it was an opportunity to get a global perspective in terms of territorial developments and link the regional and local levels with global political economy. In the end, I did a master’s in international development at the London School of Economics. For me, it was just the most inspiring year because I finally got to link the studies related to the built environment with theories of financialization and political economy. My urban studies background was a big contribution to that master because what we were getting taught was very much linked to cities, to the financialization of housing, etc.
What are you doing now?
Now I work for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) as a program management consultant. I mostly work on urban development projects in the Global South. I work in the urban practices branch, and I facilitate co-creation amongst global teams. So, teams come to me, they request co-creation processes, and I facilitate the feedback procedure from different experts within our UN teams to the project teams which are often based at the regional and country level. So far it has been really inspiring.
I started there as an intern last year in Nairobi; that's where our headquarters are located. Then, eventually, I got a contract as a consultant since September 2025. I usually work remotely and it’s going quite well. I find it quite nice.
"My urban studies background was a big contribution to that master because what we were getting taught was very much linked to cities, the financialization of housing, etc."
Can you name some skills that you’ve gained through the master in urban studies that you are now using in your job?
The agency’s new strategic focus is going to be on housing. The master gave me an academic background on the financialization of housing and the dynamics that are at play. I think that was the most important background that I needed for this job. It very much aligns with what I was taught.
Then, I think the question of discipline helped me as well. It’s a question of spending time with yourself on a topic, studying, researching, and writing your reports. That was helpful, but I think you're never really prepared for a job. In Belgium, we’re very much academically focused; we remain a bit in our academic bubble. But I was happy there, it was an enriching experience, and, at the same time, it also gave me the freedom to explore other things, like doing a nice internship for six months; there’s institutional support and financial support. I'm very grateful to have lived that because it helped me a lot to just nourish myself and also to have some time to dream and to just find my way.
Do you have any recommendations for someone who is considering starting this master?
Go into it with an open mind and without a specific niche in mind already. If you have your personal interest, that's fine. But I think you have to be ready for the master’s to continuously evolve your knowledge and your thematic interests. As a student, being able to mix all different interests and topics can make you stressed about doing things well. But in the end, you have a lot of freedom, and you should enjoy it because you will never have as much. So, I think that’s the most important thing: don’t stress. Enjoy those beautiful few years because it won't get easier after, in a job.
"Go into it with an open mind and without a specific niche in mind already. If you have your personal interest, that's fine. But I think you have to be ready for the master’s to continuously evolve your knowledge and your thematic interests."
How was your experience with your cohort?
We had some amazing colleagues, and I met a lot of good friends there. Because of COVID, we went together to Paris with Cohort 5, so I made friends across the cohorts there and I'm still in contact with many of them.
How did you experience studying in Brussels?
I think it was really good. I like Brussels, I did my bachelor’s there. Brussels is a very interesting place culturally, but also on a more pragmatic level, I think it’s a very good place to live. It has a very high quality of life compared to the cities where I've recently lived in, Paris and London, in terms of costs and financialization of the housing stock.
How would you describe urban studies in just a couple of words?
Let’s say enriching and exploratory. I think those are two very important words. That’s the most important thing for me.
This interview was conducted in May 2025.