Laureatasi in Geografia presso la Facoltà di Lettere dell'Università di Firenze, ha proseguito la propria formazione presso l'Università Tecnica di Monaco di Baviera, dove nel 1989 ha conseguito il Dottorato di ricerca (Dr. Phil.) e nel 2001 l'abilitazione all'ordinariato, specializzandosi nel campo della ricerca territoriale empirica e dell'elaborazione elettronica dei dati.
In Germania ha insegnato all'Università di Monaco e di Oldenburg ed ha svolto ricerche per conto della Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft-DFG (il CNR tedesco). Dal 1992 lavora presso l'Università di Firenze, dove dal 2001 insegna Geografia Sociale ed è responsabile del LaGeS, Laboratorio di Geografia sociale (www.lages.eu).
È professore ordinario dal 2013 presso il Dipartimento SAGAS.
Dal 2015 è delegata di Ateneo per la cooperazione internazionale.
Ha svolto attività didattica anche presso la Stanford University (sede fiorentina), dal 2002 al 2005, e presso il Master post lauream del SUM (Istituto Iitaliano di Scienze Umane) Scuola di Governo del Territorio, dal 2007 ad oggi. E' responsabile degli accordi di cooperazione interuniversitaria con Isfahan (Iran), Herat (Afghanistan) e Mandalay (Myanmar) per il Dipartimento SAGAS.
È coordinatrice del Master di I livello in "Urban Analysis and Management".
E’ stata promotrice del Corso di Laurea in Geography, Spatial Management, Heritage for International Cooperation, che ha presieduto sino al 2022.
Ha partecipato a numerose ricerche di interesse nazionale, in particolare sul tema dello sviluppo locale. Per conto del Comune di Firenze ha condotto una serie di indagini sul cambiamento socio-economico urbano, sviluppando applicazioni GIS per la gestione di dati socio-economici e culturali.
Per conto della Regione Toscana ha realizzato progetti di ricerca sull'uso e la gestione degli spazi pubblici urbani (in particolare sui mercati storici) anche in una prospettiva comparata ed interculturale.
Su incarico del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale ha diretto numerosi progetti nel campo del governo dello sviluppo urbano ( Herat e Bamyian, Afghanistan), della valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale e dello sviluppo turistico sostenibile (Bamiyan, antiche città dell’Upper Myanmar). Attualmente dirige un progetto per la tutela del patrimonio culturale e per la riqualificazione di insediamenti informali a Bamiyan.
E' membro dell’ Expert Working Group for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Landscape and Archeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley World Heritage Property.
E’ autrice di cinque volumi, otto lavori collettanei e di una novantina di articoli
Ha svolto un’intensa attività convegnistica ed organizzato numerosi convegni, fra cui:
2022: Cultura Heritage in Fragile Contexts - Development Cooperation in Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries (col patrocinio UNESCO)
2016: Ciclo di incontri “Raccontare l’urbano – Mappe, percorsi, geografie”
2022 “Heritage in fragile contexts” (sotto l’egida UNESCO)
2015 “Firenze-Herat”
2013 “Cooperazione. Territorio. Sviluppo sostenibile”.
2011 “Il Mercato allo specchio. Indagine sociale sul Mercato centrale di Firenze”
2010 “Urban Public Space in Western and Islamic Countries”
2008 “Quale turismo per Firenze. Esperienze internazionali a confronto”
2006 “Il centro storico nella città che cambia”
2003 “Giornata di studio sui problemi dell’immigrazione”
2001 “Trasformazione delle strutture commerciali e qualità della vita urbana”
Attualmente i suoi interessi principali vertono sull’analisi del cambiamento sociale ed economico in contesto urbano e sull’analisi e valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale (materiale e immateriale). Particolare attenzione è dedicata agli aspetti metodologici: ad applicazioni informatiche per la ricerca socio-geografica ed all’utilizzo di tecniche audio-visuali per lo studio delle pratiche urbane
Legenda
Mirella Loda is Professor of Geography at SAGAS Department. She holds a PhD from the Geographisches Institut der Technischen Universität , Munich (1989), where she qualified as Full Professor (2001). She is currently in charge of international cooperation for Florence University , she is director of the two-year MA program in Geography, Spatial Management, Heritage for International Cooperation, and supervisor of the one-year MA in Urban Analysis and Management. She manages the Laboratory of Social Geography that she founded in 2005. Since 2008 she has been supervising cooperation projects in Afghanistan and Myanmar in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. She is a member of the Expert Working Group for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Landscape and Archeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley World Heritage Property, and she is currently leading a research projects on these topics on behalf of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. She cooperates with the Municipality of Florence and the Tuscan Regional Authority in the field of urban development and sustainable tourism. She is the author of several books and around 70 articles.
1980: Master degree in Geography from the University of Florence.
1984-89: Postgraduate studies at the Geographisches Institut der Technische Universität, Munich, Germany with a grant from the Italian Ministry of Education.
1989: PhD (summa cum laude) from the Geographisches Institut der Technische Universität , Munich, Germany with a thesis on ‘The Economic Impact of Reconstruction in Post-Earthquake Friuli’.
1989-91: Research assistant at the University of Oldenburg and of Munich, Germany.
1990–1991: Head of a national research project on German Tourism in Tuscany, at the University of Oldenburg, Germany.
From 1992: Researcher at the Institute of Geography, University of Florence, Italy.
1998–1999: Head of a national research project on ‘Ecological Policies and Dynamics of Innovation in Italian Industrial Districts’, at the Geographisches Institut der Technische Universität, Munich, Germany.
2000-2002: Development of distance learning modules ‘Production system and transport’ and ‘Geography of Tourism’ for Consorzio IcoN
2001: Qualified as associate professor of Geography at the University of Macerata, Italy.
July 14, 2001: Qualified as full professor at the Geographisches Institut der Technische Universität, Munich, Germany (the Habilitation qualifies successful candidates for a career as university professor, according to German university regulations).
2002: advancement from researcher to associate professor of Social Geography at the University of Florence, Italy.
2002-05 Visiting professor of Social Geography at Stanford University, Florence.
2003: Consultant in study on retail business for the Master Plan of Florence.
2004: Member of winning team in competition for Retail Revival Plan for the quartiere of Isolotto-Pisana (Florence).
2005: Consultant for Florence municipality for the restructuring of the former monastery of S. Orsola (quartiere of S. Lorenzo).
2006: Consultant for Florence municipality in study on tourists’ perception of city.
2007: Grant from the Department of International Cooperation of the Tuscan Regional Council for a research project on ‘Use and management of urban public space in Florence and Isfahan’.
Since 2007: Coordination of Agreements between Florence University and the Universities of Isfahan (Iran) and Herat (Afghanistan).
Since 2007: Visiting professor in post-graduate course on ‘Urban and regional management’ of SUM (Italian Institute of Human Sciences) in Florence.
Since 2011: Coordination of the Master degree in Urban Analysis and Management.
Since 2015: representative of Florence University for International Cooperation.
She is responsible for the LaGeS-Laboratory for Social Geography at Florence University.
She is director of the Master degree in Geography,Spatial Management, Heritage for International Cooperation.
She is member of the Expert Working Group for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Landscape and Archeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley World Heritage Property.
She is member of The Doctoral College in "Mutamento sociale e politico".
Research:
She has directed numerous research projects on socio-economic changes in the contemporary city (in Tuscany and abroad) also for local organizations (municipality of Florence, Tuscan Region).
She has coordinated numerous cooperation projects funded by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan and Myanmar.
Completed research project:
2018 Bamiyan Strategic Master Plan
2015 Plan for sustainable tourism development in the ancient cities of Upper Myanmar
2015 Historical markets in modern towns: an international comparison, within the framework of the EU project “Marakanda”
2014 Herat District 9 development plan, for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/DGCS
2014 Herat sustainable urban mobility plan, for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/DGCS
2013 Herat Strategic Master Plan
2011Pilot project for improving capacity in urban and regional planning in Herat City, for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/DGCS
2010 San Lorenzo market (Florence): past and present
2008 Use and management of urban public spaces
2007 Florence’s image among up-market tourists
2006 Preliminary study for urban renewal of San Lorenzo borough (Florence)
2004 Consumer habits and mobility demand of students at Novoli campus, Florence University
2003 Retailing development in Florence centre with special regard to non EU entrepreneurship, within the framework of the Strategic Masterplan of the City of Florence
Ongoing research:
- Upgrading of informal settlements in the Bamiyan valley (Afghanistan)
-Survey on outdoor cafés in Florence and development of a geographical information system (GIS) (ongoing project) in cooperation with the UNESCO office of the Ciity of Florence
Organization of congresses and seminars
- 2016: Ciclo di incontri “Raccontare l’urbano – Mappe, percorsi, geografie”
- 2015: “Firenze-Herat”.
- 2013: “Cooperazione. Territorio. Sviluppo sostenibile”.
- 2011 “Il Mercato allo specchio. Indagine sociale sul Mercato centrale di Firenze”.
- 2010 “Urban Public Space in Western and Islamic Countries”.
- 2008: “Quale turismo per Firenze. Esperienze internazionali a confronto”.
- 2006: “Il centro storico nella città che cambia”.
- 2003: “Giornata di studio sui problemi dell’immigrazione”.
- 2001: “Trasformazione delle strutture commerciali e qualità della vita urbana”
She has also spoken at about fourty congresses and conferences in Italy and abroad.
Currently her research interests focus on the analisys of the socio-economic change ongong in contemporary city and on the analysis and enhancement of cultural heritage (tangible an intangible). Special attention is dedicated to methodological issues, such as the utiity of big data for socio-geographic research and of audio-visual techniques for the analysis of urban practices.
