Yves Schoonjans (1960) is a full professor at the KU Leuven (University of Leuven, Department of Architecture), Belgium and conducts research in the domain of recent urban history and theory with a focus on informal settlements and public spaces. In 2013 together with Kris Scheerlinck he initiated the ‘Urban Projects, Collective Spaces and Local Identities’ research group. The research group gathers researchers from several disciplines (architecture, urban design, urbanism, heritage practice, history & theory of architecture and urbanism, digital spatial media, …). Its aim is to initiate and develop research on the making and use of public/collective spaces in urban projects in relation to coherent theoretical approaches and discourses.  After being vice-dean of Internationalisation and chair of the Research Department of Architecture, he is now dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the KU Leuven.

His research is focusing on the relation between urban morphology, appropriation of public/collective spaces and daily practices. The research focuses on public/collective spaces such as parks, urban plazas, neighbourhood squares, markets, streets.... In urban development, everyday local identity and appropriation of public space play an important role in how a community organises itself and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the South.

Since 2005 he has been involved as partner and lead-coordinator in several projects on urbanism and public spaces in different international programs (Erasmus, Mundus, ALFA , Gobal Minds… ) and participated in different project, especially in Latin America, and more recently in Africa and Asia. Yves Schoonjans stayed abroad several times for his research and regularly travels to Latin America for field-work ,and for research and educational cooperations.