Gaia is a Senior Design Researcher and Urban Designer at Publica, working at the intersection of public realm design, community engagement, and research across London, the UK, and internationally. With a background in architecture, urban design, teaching, and participatory action-research, she brings a creative, community-driven approach to spatial design.
Since joining Publica in 2018, she has played a central role in shaping cultural strategies, public realm visions, and policy guidance that celebrate and revitalise urban communities and ecosystems. She is part of the team leading the Campaign for Inclusive Cities, focusing on women and girls’ safety and gender inclusive public realm. Gaia has led pioneering projects with women, girls, and non-binary people to co-create inclusive spaces that support joyful, active, and safe urban lives.
She developed and leads Right to the City, a live action research programme exploring how women, girls and non-binary people experience safety after dark. The initiative has engaged over 300 participants and stakeholders across the City of London and was shortlisted for the Pineapples Awards 2025.
Gaia has spoken at events including the Women’s Night Safety Summit 2026, Open City’s Accelerate Debate, LUCI Conference, Urban Learners panel, and the London Festival of Architecture. She has also featured on Diverse Dialogues: The Podcast.
Alongside her practice, she leads a BA Architecture studio at Central Saint Martins and teaches at the Royal College of Art, the Architectural Association, and Umeå School of Architecture. She is the founder of Fritto Misto, an interdisciplinary practice designing convivial spaces and immersive experiences through food.
Bridging the scales of city, the self and the body, Gaia is also a yoga instructor, holistic life coach, and family constellation facilitator, weaving embodiment, care, and systemic thinking into her design approach.
She holds a master’s in architecture from Umeå School of Architecture and a Bachelor’s from CEPT University. Her master’s thesis was nominated for the RIBA Silver Medal and awarded the Young Talent Architecture Award by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe in 2020.
