Rachel Iampolski

Dr Rachel Iampolski is an urban researcher, placemaking practitioner and public space advocate whose work examines how ordinary, improvised and often overlooked spaces contribute to urban cultural life. She completed her PhD at RMIT University’s Centre for Urban Research, where she investigated the role of informal public space practices in shaping cultural heritage and challenging conventional planning and governance frameworks.

Rachel has worked across or alongside universities, living labs and council partnerships, specialising in community-engaged research, culturally informed placemaking and evidence-based public space strategy. She completed a Master of Arts and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne, which shaped her interest in creative, participatory approaches to urban life. She is the founder of Public Street, a creative placemaking and public art platform, and co-founder of Praxis Collective, an initiative focused on urban justice and critical spatial practice.

She is an active member of City Space Architecture, contributing to global public space advocacy efforts, and teaches in Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture programs at RMIT University, where she works with emerging practitioners to foster community-centred and justice-driven approaches to city-making.