Courtney Wood

Fulbright All-Disciplines Postgraduate Award - University of Illinois Chicago

Courtney is a Zimbabwean-born resident of Birmingham. Her avid interest in understanding socio-spatial connections and how city spaces can best work for people inspired her to complete an integrated master's degree in Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield. She particularly enjoyed modules on critical urban theory that explored colonialism, Indigenous practices, and radical participatory planning methodologies. Courtney was the recipient of two awards during her studies, including the John Richings James Book Prize in Urban Studies and the ADH Crook Prize for Contributions Towards Social Justice in Planning. As a student, she completed various charity internships, volunteering schemes, and took part in student societies, including the DJ society and the Liberty Belle Magazine Society. Since graduating, she has worked as a Graduate Urban Planner and then transitioned into youth advocacy work for a United Nations non-profit organisation. On the Fulbright programme, Courtney hopes to build upon her SURE research programme project, developing a new gentrification theory. She sincerely looks forward to being immersed in a new urban environment, allowing her to conduct comparative analysis between cities in the UK and the US. Courtney greatly anticipates the opportunity to engage in cultural exchange and dispel American stereotypes through engaging with local people, culture, and history.