Welcome

I am a Danish Architect, scholar, Editor, and facilitator based in Berlin

I build

After a personal crisis, I found myself with limited options for affordable housing in the neighborhood I wanted to stay in. My solution was to live in 45 m2 with two kids, which required innovative ways of optimizing the space available. This experience sparked the idea to help other families optimize their living space so that they can stay in their neighborhood despite the changing living conditions and constantly increasing prices. Therefore, I founded BLEIB in 2023, where I use my architectural knowledge to help families to develop spatial solutions and optimizing their m2.

Get in contact if you and your family need help to develop new solutions for your flat independent from whether you are a renter or owner: hello@bleib-urbanliving.com

Visit the website for more information:

Website BLEIB

I FACILITATe

My passion for co-productive processes and my curiosity about people and diverse ways of knowing guide me when I facilitate. I have more than 10 years of experience in facilitating the co-production of knowledge in inter- and transdisciplinary science consortia. I aim to transcend cultural and disciplinary boundaries by employing innovative methods to encourage people to step out of their comfort zones, foster trust, and dare to challenge their own perceptions in order to find common ground.

Please get in touch with me if you need support in facilitating participatory or co-productive processes related to urban topics. I also facilitate processes with the aim of publishing a common piece.

I write / edit

I have over 15 years of experience as a researcher and lecturer at various universities worldwide. I am a true believer in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, as well as shared learning processes. In my world, most innovations and innovative ideas emerge from co-productive processes that incorporate a diversity of knowledge and ways of knowing.

Topics I care about are accessibility of affordable housing in our cities, the way we live and co-exist with other species, how urban space is being shaped and negotiated and the future of our cities.

Check out my CV for a full list of publications.

FOKDAL, J., BINA, O., CHILES, P., OJAMÄE, L.& PAADAM, K. (eds.) (2021) Enabling the City. Inter- and Transdisciplinary Encounters.

FOKDAL, J., LEY, A. & MOUSTANDIJI, Y. (2021). Special Issue on Co-production of Knowledge in Urban Research and Practice.

HERRLE, P. & FOKDAL, J. (2011) Beyond the Urban Informality Discourse: Negotiating Power, Legitimacy and Resources.

FOKDAL, J., COLIC, R. and RODIC, D. (2020). Practice-oriented learning as a model to promote sustainable urban development.

SCHREIBER, F., FOKDAL, J. & LEY, A: (2023) A catalyst for innovation? A conceptual framework for analyzing the potential of urban experiments in innovating urban planning practices.

FOKDAL, J. (2019). Juggling legitimacies: Informal places for burials and worship in Hong Kong. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 43 (3): 582-588

I guide

I love giving back to my local community, the city I live in, and to the next generation of planners and architects who are shaping the future of how we live and of our cities.

Every year, I guide a couple of master's students through their thesis process on topics such as affordable housing, informality, co-production, and the transformation of the building sector, including housing sufficiency.

I also share my love for the city of Berlin by serving on local boards and by sharing my knowledge about the city and its development with visitors. Contact me if you are interested in a guided tour that focuses on how urban space is being shaped and negotiated in Berlin.