Keisha Maloney

Keisha Maloney's previous studies and research, at the University of Toronto (BA) and the University of Manchester (MSc), focused on critical international development, asset adaptation strategies for informal settlements in climate change resilience, and inclusive planning processes. Key to her approach is being open to hearing stories and approaches that resist western traditions of knowledge production and planning solutions to contribute to what the Zapatistas call 'the pluriverse' (a world where many worlds fit).

Keisha probes research questions that consider engagement and consultation practices that foreground planning for equity and inclusivity, particularly for Indigenous peoples who are the first caretakers of now settler-colonial lands. As Indigenous peoples have been disenfranchised by urban planning (and other colonial) implements, her research considers the process of implementing the UNDRIP in the City of Toronto. She applies collaborative research methods including walking-ethnographic interviews, producing counter-cartographies, and focus groups to bridge the divide between Indigenous planning principles and municipal planning institutions.