CV | Dr. Ruth Joan Nelson

Research co-ordinator for water mobility within the City of Amsterdam.

Education #

PhD Spatial Data Science and Policy (2021-2025)
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Technical University of Delft

MRes. Space Syntax: Architecture and Cities (2018-2019)
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Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, United Kingdom

Masters in Architecture (2013-2015)
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Nelson Mandela University, South Africa

Bachelors in Architecture (2011-2013)
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Nelson Mandela Univerity, South Africa

Employment history #

Research Co-ordinator for Water Mobility (2026 - present)
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Municipality of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Data Researcher for Sailing (2025 - 2026)
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Municipality of Amsterdam, Netherlands

PhD Researcher (2021 - 2025)
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TU Delft, Netherlands

Consultancy Data Analysis and Research (2020 - 2021)
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Quadricular, Mexico

Adjunct Professor (2020 - 2021)
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Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico

Architect with an emphasis on BIM coordination (2019)
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Alfred Hall Monaghan Morris, United Kingdom

Architect (2016 - 2018)
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SAOTA, South Africa

Architect (2016)
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Makeka Design Lab, South Africa

Skills #

Publications #

1. Nelson, RJ., Warnier, M. and Verma, T. (2026). Ethically informed Urban Planning: measuring distributive spatial justice for neighbourhood acessibility. [link]
2. Nelson, RJ., Warnier, M. and Verma, T. (2025). MAP: Mapping Accessibility for Ethically Informed Urban Planning. [link]
3. Nelson, RJ., Pearce, B; Warnier, M. and Verma, T. (2025). Constructing Just Mobility Futures [link]
4. Nelson, RJ., Warnier, M. and Verma, T. (2024). Housing Inequalities: The Space-time Geography of Housing Policies. [link]
5. Nelson, RJ., Min Naing, K. and Beroche, H. (2023). Generative AI for Urban Governance.
6. Nelson, RJ., Warnier, M. and Verma, T. (2023). Conceptualising urban inequalities as a complex socio-technical phenomenon. [link]
7. Nelson, RJ. (2022). Social inclusion through the urban lens: a comparative analysis of neighbourhoods of residential racial homogeneity and heterogeneity in Cape Town, South Africa. [link to conference paper]
8. Nelson, RJ.(2021). The spatial and social logic of the Minibus Taxi network: how access may support social inclusion in Cape Town, South Africa. Applied Mobilities, 8:1, 1-25 [link]
9. Nelson, RJ.(2019). The Conservative City: An analysis of the urban morphological development of Cape Town, South Africa with a specific focus on emergent spatial and mobility systems that generate the opportunity for multi-racial co-presence. [link]

Conferences #

AMS Scientific Conference, 2026
Hosted By:
AMS Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands

GISRUK, 2025
Hosted by:
University of Bristol, United Kingdom

Urban Technology for Equity, 2024
Hosted by:
United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities

Reinventing the City, 2024
Hosted By:
AMS Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands

African Transport Research Conference, 2024
Hosted By:
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

GISRUK, 2024
Hosted By:
University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

Benchmarking Spatial Justice in Policymaking, Planning and Design, 2023
Hosted By:
TU Delft, Delft, Netherlands

Annual Meeting for the American Association of Geographers, 2023
Hosted By:
American Association of Geographers, Denver, United States

13th International Space Syntax Symposium, 2022
Hosted By:
Western Norway University, Norway

GISRUK, 2022
Hosted By:
University of Liverpool, UK

Fifth South African Cities Conference
CONFERENCE, 2020 Hosted By:
University of the Witwaterstrand, SA

Ocho Semana Conferencía, 2020
Hosted By:
Universidad Auntonoma de Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Masters in Research Conference, 2019
Hosted By:
Bartlett School of Architecture, UK

Invited webinars #

Urban AI for Sustainable Cities, 2024
Hosted by:
Urban AI and Cornell Tech

Housing Inequalities, 2024
Hosted By:
Space Syntax Laboratory, University College London, UK

Insights into Emerging Technologies and Urban Inequalities, 2023
Hosted By:
UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape

Urban social inequalities: How can cities include people?, 2023
Hosted By:
IE University and All things Urban

Getting Density Right, 2022
Hosted By:
Young Urbanists in partnership with the Mayor of Cape Town

Social inclusion through the urban lens, 2022
Hosted By:
South African Centre for Cities

Workshops and Summer Schools #

Workshop in Inequalities across Scales of Space, Time and Domains, 2023
Hosted By:
Institute of Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy

Oxford School in Economic Networks, 2023
Hosted By:
Oxford University, UK

Organised events #

Workshop on Envisioning the future of Cape Town, 2024
In collaboration with:
Young Urbanists and TU Delft Global

Generative AI for Urban Governance Symposium, 2023
In collaboration with:
Urban AI

Urban AI for Regenerative Cities, 2022
In collaboration with:
Urban AI, TU Delft, the MIT Senseable Cities Lab, AMS Institute

Associations & affiliations #

• South African Associate for the Local Government Information Unit [LGIU]
• Member of Young Urbanists South Africa [Young Urbanists]
• TU Delft Global Fellow [TU Global]
• Member of Urban AI [Urbanai]

Awards and Funding Grants #

The Prize for Best Paper on Spatial Analysis at GISRUK 2024
Granted By:
The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London

Staff exchange funding, 2024
Granted By:
TU Delft Global

Early career fee waiver, 2024
Granted By:
GISRUK organising committee, University of Leeds, UK

Funding to attend TLQS Workshop on Inequality Across Scales, Space, Time and Domains, 2023
Granted By:
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics

Masters Scholarship for UCL, 2018
Granted By:
Chevening

Masters Bursary, 2013
Granted By:
Ernst and Ethel Erikson Trust