Ana Paula Pimentel Walker’s research goal is to identify institutional designs and participatory planning practices that have the potential to produce socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable cities. She conducts three research projects:1) “The Significance of Participatory Institutions in Planning Socially Just Cities” examines the outcomes of participatory urban governance from the perspective of those living in informal settlements and Afro-Brazilian territories. Pimentel Walker reflects on the evolving discourses of citizen participation in light of three decades of participatory budgeting and planning in Brazil. Her findings highlight how partisan politics and profit-driven redevelopment projects have undermined the initial effectiveness of democratic planning as a tool of sustainable slum upgrading.2) “Legal Institutions and the Planning Process: Conflicts between the Right to Adequate Housing and to a Sustainable Environment,” with Prof. Arquero de Alarcón, they investigate how the São Paulo Courts manage a wicked problem of the Global South: environmental degradation and risk in areas informally occupied by very low-income families.3) “Migrant-run organizations (MROs) in Michigan: Documenting the nature and scope of immigrant and refugee-led community-based organizations,” with Profs. Gonzalez Benson and Yoshihama, they investigate civic inequalities in the undercounting and underfunding of MROs. This project aims to identify and amplify the voices of MROs in Michigan, building coalitions with local institutions.