Dr Maria Jesus Alfaro-Simmonds (she/her)

I am an interdisciplinary social urban researcher specialised in urban childhoods. My work explores how structural and spatial inequalities shape the everyday wellbeing and happiness of children, young people, families and communities. Combining qualitative, quantitative and participatory approaches, my work seeks to understand how young people experience and respond to disadvantage across urban and coastal contexts. My research emphasises young people’s participation, voices and lived experiences to inform inclusive, evidence-based social and spatial policy.

I hold a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Birmingham. My background in architecture led me to interrogate how urban and residential spaces shape human identity and emotions. This shaped my doctoral project, Youth Happiness in the Grey City, which examined children’s and young people’s experiences of urban happiness in Lima, Peru. To do so, I examined how sociability, accessibility, belonging, safety, and the built environment influence their sense of wellbeing. Following this, I was awarded an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship to expand my research across other Latin American cities.

My research practice is grounded in ethics of care, collaboration and creative dissemination. I have a particular interest in how participatory and visual methods can translate complex research into accessible outputs that influence decision-making. This has guided my collaboration and contribution on externally funded projects, including Nature´s Way (AHRC) and Children’s Lives in Changing Places (Nuffield Foundation).

Currently, as a Research Associate at the School of Architecture and Landscape, I am leading the research project Play in the City, which explores children’s and young people’s (ages 9–15) experiences, behaviours, and access to play in Sheffield City Centre and neighbourhood spaces. I am also contributing to writing research outputs for the Negotiating Childhood Around the Pacific Rim project, co-led by Professor Helen Woolley, advancing cross-cultural understanding of urban childhood experiences across generations.