Michael Smith Masis ‘19

Micheal is the founding editor of Justicia Espacial, a newly launched research platform to understand, share and develop spatial justice projects in Latin America, through a learning ecosystem that promotes community engagement, multi-sectoral and cross-disciplinary agency and exchanges.

Last year within the platform Justicia Espacial developed a studio in partnership with Veritas University (Costa Rica) at the intersection on Spatial Justice and Social Housing under vulnerable conditions, locally called 'Cuarterias'.

Justicia Espacial hosts a weekly series of public free online conversations, that provides important inputs to the studio process. Last year its guests included Loeb alumni Alejandro Echeverri ‘16, Katie Swenson ‘19, along with Belinda Tato (Harvard GSD), Todo por la Praxis (Spain), and others. This year it wants to address the challenge of spatial justice and hopes to extends its connection to the Loeb and Harvard community and has confirmed  the participation of Surella Segu ‘18, Washington Fajardo ‘19, Dianne Davis (Harvard GSD), Zaida Muxi, Jorge Mario Jauregui, Teddy Cruz (Harvard Alumni) and Fona Forman, Alejandro Haiek.

Surella is working with Mike to engage Loebs throughout Latin America. She will moderate the first in this year’s series—a conversation with Zaida Muxi on spatial justice and gender on Jan. 26.