María Arquero de Alarcón

About María Arquero de Alarcón

I am passionate about education and curious about all things urban. At the University of Michigan, I am an Associate Professor in Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning, and I served as Director of the Master of Urban Design from 2015-2021. I am an avid collaborator and much of my work focuses on the co-generation of urban strategies that promote cultural and socio-environmental values. I advocate for urban design to embrace a spatial justice lens in the co-production of more humane urban futures, and I hope to connect with you if you are interested in integrating design and planning. 

Selected Publications

• Murray, M., Arquero de Alarcón, M., Chivite Amigo, O. (2025). “The Contested Urbanism of Abandonment: The Afterlife of Two Distressed Neighborhoods in Detroit.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 
• Pimentel Walker, A. P., Arquero de Alarcón, M., Friendly, A., Barbosa, B. R., Ribeiro de Souza, M., & Nobre, S. C. S. (2024). “Activist Co-production for the Right to Occupy, Hold Ground, and Upgrade.” Planning Theory, 23(4). 324-355. Special issue Coproducing the just city: Interrogating the civil society/academy interface. 
• Pimentel Walker, A. P., Arquero de Alarcón, M., Penha Machado, M. F., & Avanci, J. L. (2024). “The Judicialization of the Planning Process in São Paulo’s Informal Settlements: Enforcing Housing and Environmental Rights through the Courts?” Journal of Planning Education and Research, 44(1), 115-127.
• Pimentel Walker, A. P., Arquero de Alarcón, M., Santo Amore, C., Lopes dos Reis, N., Rajkumar Nair, N., Yelk, J., & Liu, Y. (2023). “Young Land Occupations and the Failure of Housing Policy in Brazil.” Housing Policy Debates, 33(3). 597–618. 
• Arquero de Alarcón, M. (2020). “Imag(e)ing the Urban Water Commons.” Journal of Architectural Education, 74(1), 49–59. 

Recent Courses Taught

• UD 715: Theories and Methods of Urban Design 
• Arch 672-UD 732: Interdisciplinary Research Studio 
• URP 551/Arch 506: Physical Planning Workshop
• Arch 509: Climates: Actions for Good Living