As an anthropologist with a PhD in social geography, I focus on ethnographic research into the spatial dimensions of social inclusion and exclusion. Together with engaged city residents, we examine urban issues closely: who defines which problems, which perspectives remain underrepresented, and what everyday practices might offer solutions? From this angle, I have gained experience in practice-oriented research on a wide range of topics, including urban renewal, inclusive public space, solidarity in diversity, the role of social work in placemaking, and unequal access to the housing market. For me, ‘urban strength’ lies in the many different meanings that places can hold simultaneously.