Ana Maffini Portfolio
Architect and Urbanist, PhD in Urban and Regional Planning
I am an urban planner with a deep commitment to applied research in urban and regional planning. I have experience with geospatial data analysis, using tools such as GIS and Python to investigate spatial dynamics, urban networks, socio-spatial inequalities, and other complex territorial phenomena.
I hold a PhD and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from leading Brazilian universities. My academic path includes an exchange program in Architecture at the University of Toronto (Canada) and a research period at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden).
My work focuses on urban analytics, systematic research, and quantitative methods, combining spatial analysis with data-driven approaches to better understand cities and their evolving structures. I am especially interested in collaborative projects that integrate technical knowledge with critical and interdisciplinary perspectives.
I am passionate about teaching, research, and building collective knowledge. I believe in the power of applied and collaborative research to deepen our understanding of urban systems and contribute to more just and efficient solutions for cities.
I hold a PhD and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from leading Brazilian universities. My academic path includes an exchange program in Architecture at the University of Toronto (Canada) and a research period at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden).
My work focuses on urban analytics, systematic research, and quantitative methods, combining spatial analysis with data-driven approaches to better understand cities and their evolving structures. I am especially interested in collaborative projects that integrate technical knowledge with critical and interdisciplinary perspectives.
I am passionate about teaching, research, and building collective knowledge. I believe in the power of applied and collaborative research to deepen our understanding of urban systems and contribute to more just and efficient solutions for cities.
Industrialization and Spatial Transformations in Medium Cities
The article "Industrialização e transformações espaciais em Santa Maria (RS): apontamentos para uma leitura crítica do urbano" analyzes changes in the distribution of industries in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, between 2014 and 2020. Using a configurational approach, the study investigates how industrialization processes have influenced the spatial organization of the city, highlighting the implications of these transformations for urban structure and local socioeconomic dynamics.
The research shows that industrial reconfiguration in Santa Maria is linked to patterns of concentration and dispersion of productive activities, directly affecting urban planning and the distribution of resources. These transformations reflect broader trends of economic and spatial restructuring in medium-sized Brazilian cities, emphasizing the need for public policies that consider local specificities in the urban development process.
Potential Movement
This research began in 2022 with the goal of contributing to the broader discussion on urban mobility and social inequality in Latin American cities. Grounded in the need for more equitable and sustainable urban environments, particularly in the Global South, the project introduces and applies the Potential Movement Index as a way to analyze spatial disparities in access and movement among different social groups.
By introducing a socially-informed network analysis method, this research adds to the growing field of mobility justice and urban accessibility. It provides both a conceptual and practical framework to better understand and respond to the challenges faced by marginalized urban populations.
The full details of the methodology and case studies are presented in the main article published under the title Inequalities in the potential movement of social groups: A network-based indicator.
Socio-Spatial Segregation Through Accessibility
Urban segregation remains one of the most pressing challenges for achieving social equity and urban sustainability, particularly in Latin American cities. While extensive literature exists on segregation, it has largely focused on North American and European contexts. Moreover, many traditional segregation metrics neglect the spatial structure of cities, limiting their ability to represent the true complexity of socio-spatial dynamics.
This research addresses this gap by proposing a method that explicitly incorporates urban accessibility and spatial relationships into the analysis of segregation patterns.
By integrating spatial configuration, demographic distribution, and opportunity mapping, this research offers a new methodological approach to understanding segregation. It bridges the gap between network theory, accessibility analysis, and social equity concerns in urban studies.
The full methodology and findings are detailed in the article Uncovering income and racial spatial inequalities and segregation patterns with a potential accessibility network index, which serves as the primary publication of this study.
Accessibility with Competition: A Network-Based Approach Using the Potential Accessibility Index
This research introduces and tests an adapted network-based index—the Potential Accessibility (PA) index)—designed to improve how urban spatial accessibility is measured. Traditional accessibility models often overlook the effects of competition for limited resources and the detailed structure of urban street networks. This study proposes a more refined model that integrates these critical spatial dynamics, offering a valuable tool for planners and urban analysts.
The research makes a key contribution to accessibility studies by introducing a competition-sensitive, network-based index that captures complex spatial dynamics more accurately than traditional methods. It offers practical tools for designing proximity-centered policies and advancing equitable access to opportunities in diverse urban contexts.
The detailed methodology and findings are published in the article An adapted centrality index to assess spatial accessibility in street networks: Application to two medium-sized cities in Brazil.
PMD Index Plugin
The PMD Index is a methodological tool developed to analyze potential movement within urban street networks. Conceived within the Urban Systems Research Group at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in Brazil, the PMD Index plugin was created by Ana Luisa Maffini and Gustavo Maciel Gonçalves. It builds upon the theoretical foundation of Polarity, a refined model of network betweenness centrality proposed by professor Rômulo Krafta, and offers a spatial approach to understanding how urban form shapes population flows.
The PMD Index contributes to the analysis of urban centrality by modeling the frequency with which streets are used in the shortest paths between population origins and urban destinations. Known as Potential Movement, this metric serves as a proxy for estimating the intensity of movement across the urban fabric, influenced by both the size of the population at origin points and the relative attractiveness of destinations, such as employment centers, schools, or services.
By incorporating weighted origins and destinations, the PMD Index allows for a more nuanced interpretation of centrality that accounts for the magnitude of flows, not just their geometry. This capacity makes it particularly useful for studies that seek to reveal how urban structures facilitate or constrain accessibility across different areas of a city or metropolitan region.
Through this methodological contribution, the PMD Index expands the analytical toolkit for understanding spatial dynamics in cities, especially in contexts where movement patterns are closely linked to social and infrastructural disparities.
Spatial Centrality and Socio-Spatial Vulnerability in Porto Alegre’s Metropolitan Region
This book chapter examines the spatial logic underlying socio-spatial vulnerability in the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region (RMPA), a complex and uneven urban territory in southern Brazil. In a context marked by spatial inequality and fragmented urban development, the chapter focuses on how urban centrality patterns interact with the location of vulnerable populations, contributing to exclusionary dynamics in access to opportunities, infrastructure, and public services.
This chapter contributes to the understanding of how urban structure reinforces socio-spatial inequalities in metropolitan contexts. By bridging centrality theory and vulnerability mapping, the research offers a valuable framework for diagnosing and addressing urban disparities in medium-to-large metropolitan regions of the Global South.
The complete analysis and maps are presented in the book chapter "Centralidade Espacial e Localização das Áreas de Vulnerabilidade Socioespacial na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre."
Socio-Spatial Segregation and Movement Inequality in Santa Maria (RS)
Socio-spatial segregation deeply influences urban life by shaping unequal access to mobility and the daily movement of populations across the city. While many existing spatial indicators of segregation focus on residential patterns or urban accessibility, few explore how segregation affects the actual or potential movements of different income groups.
This research advances a novel approach to this issue, focusing on the city of Santa Maria (RS) and proposing a network-based method to measure movement inequalities across social strata.
By shifting the focus from static residential segregation to the potential for daily movement across the city, this research offers a new lens on socio-spatial inequality. The study reinforces the value of network-based configurational methods in understanding how urban form mediates access to opportunities.
The full methodology and empirical results are detailed in the article "DESCREVENDO DESIGUALDADES NOS POTENCIAIS DE DESLOCAMENTO INTRAURBANOS: UMA ABORDAGEM CONFIGURACIONAL".
Measuring Socio-Spatial Interaction with Configurational Models
Segregation is a structural characteristic of urban environments, but it becomes problematic when it prevents or limits certain groups from accessing public services, spaces, and daily activities. In Brazilian cities, segregation is deeply intertwined with social class disparities, yet urban form and configuration remain largely unaddressed in public policy responses.
This research repositions the concept of segregation—from a residential phenomenon to one that also includes the restriction of socio-spatial interactions—and introduces new metrics that better reflect this broader perspective.
By reframing segregation as a restraint on socio-spatial interaction, this study contributes a novel methodology to urban studies. It underscores the potential of configurational models to reveal overlooked aspects of urban inequality and supports more interaction-oriented approaches to urban policy and planning.
The full methodology and empirical findings are detailed in the article Urban Segregation and Socio-Spatial Interactions: A Configurational Approach.
Spatial Centrality of Logistics Activities
This research from 2021 explores the spatial implications of recent changes in production and consumption patterns, which have significantly expanded the logistics sector. While logistics activities are often examined through an economic lens, this project brings them into the realm of urban and regional planning by focusing on their spatial distribution and impacts.
The central question of this study is:
How is the centrality of logistics activities distributed across metropolitan space, and what spatial patterns—concentration or decentralization—emerge from this distribution?
How is the centrality of logistics activities distributed across metropolitan space, and what spatial patterns—concentration or decentralization—emerge from this distribution?
This study contributes a novel methodology to the field of logistics and spatial analysis, offering both a theoretical and empirical framework to analyze the centrality and distribution of logistics activities. The conclusions emphasize the potential and limitations of configurational models when applied to regional logistics systems.
The main findings are presented in detail in the article Modelling Spatial Centrality of Logistics Activities: Study in the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region, Brazil, which serves as the foundational publication for this research.