Bas van Heur is Professor of Human Geography and Urban Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where he also serves as Director of the Brussels Centre for Urban Studies and Director of the MSc in Urban Studies. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts and M.A. in Cultural History from Utrecht University, and a Ph.D. in Geography from the Freie Universität Berlin. Prior to joining the VUB, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Maastricht University (the Netherlands) and an adjunct lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London (UK).

 

His research focuses on the politics of urban development, driven by a normative interest in state-society relations and the capacity of civic actors to produce public knowledge about the city and democratic forms of collective organization. His work covers a variety of topics, including cultural and creative industries, migration and arrival infrastructures, urban laboratories and experimentation, culture and political economy, the sociology of science, and urban theory.

 

Currently, his research focus on two interconnected themes: community-led socio-cultural infrastructures, such as cultural commons, cooperatives, and collective ownership, and elite-driven cultural initiatives including cultural foundations, arts philanthropy and public-private partnerships. During his residency at the Lab (part of a 2025/26 sabbatical), Bas will examine how wealth elites shape the urban cultural landscape in a select number of cities, including New York City. Particular attention will be paid to: (1) the political and planning contexts enabling elite philanthropy, (2) elite involvement in cultural organizations, (3) elite influence on city branding and local discourses, (4) distinctions within elite groups regarding cultural investments, and (5) the contested urban cultural landscape where elite and non-elite actors interact.