Rachel Keeton

Architect and Researcher in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management at the University of Twente in the Netherlands

Education:
Master of Science in Architecture, TU Delft (2008) 
Bachelor of Architecture, UNC Charlotte (2006) 

Previous Employment:
Editor for B_Nieuws (Architectural magazine) 
Columnist for TU_Delta (TU Delft university paper) 

Hometown:
Fayetteville, NC

As a researcher at the International New Town Institute, Rachel’s current research examines perceptions of migration factors as they relate to climate change in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mali. She is the author of Rising in the East: Contemporary New Towns in Asia (2011), African New Towns: An adaptive, principle-based planning approach (2020) and co-editor of To Build a City in Africa: a History and a Manual (2019). In addition, she has worked on publications about sustainable urban planning and current planning issues. She also lectures occasionally at TU Delft and UvA, and is a registered architect.  In 2015 she founded Urban Anecdote, a consultancy, research, and design office dealing with urban questions through contributions ranging from exhibitions to independent films.

“Studying in the School (College) of Architecture at UNC Charlotte was an experience that I appreciate much more after studying in London and Delft. At Charlotte we had the chance to interact with our professors on a daily basis, both formally and informally. We had our own studio spaces, with desks we could personalize and spaces we could appropriate. We became a tight (and somewhat inbred!) community. This is not standard for Architecture schools.”

“Although I am working as a researcher now, I am also a registered architect, which is a title that I value very highly and mostly attribute to my experiences at the School. I was influenced by many of the faculty, for different reasons. Professors Mark Morris and Krista Sykes were the first to combine my enthusiasm for design with analytical writing; Linda Samuels and Carrie Gault encouraged me to push designs to their aesthetic conclusions and they weren’t scared off by the use of color!”