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Vera Kichanova
Vera Kichanova's profile covering her urban economics career, policy research, urban strategy, and key achievements.
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About
Vera Kichanova, PhD, is an urban economist and policy strategist focused on urban development, economic policy, and alternative models of city governance. She currently serves as Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation, where her work centers on economic policy and research. Her professional expertise includes urban planning, land-use policy, smart-city governance, sustainability, housing, mobility, and self-governing urban development. Previously, she spent more than seven years as a Senior Urban Strategist at Zaha Hadid Architects, contributing to masterplans, civic projects, transport hubs, and mixed-use developments across more than 20 countries. Her academic work examines the economics and institutional design of private urban development. Quick Facts about Vera Kichanova: Field Details Full Name Vera Kichanova, PhD Current Position Senior Economist Current Company Free Cities Foundation Location Dubai, United Arab Emirates Current Focus Economic policy and economic research; Free Cities and alternative urban governance models Previous Leadership Roles Senior Urban Strategist at Zaha Hadid Architects; Editor-in-Chief at Reed Magazine; President of Oxford Hayek Society Previous Companies Zaha Hadid Architects, Atlas Network, Slon.ru, Voice of America, Novaya Gazeta Education PhD in Political Economy; Master of Public Policy; Specialist in Journalism; Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship in Political Economy University King's College London; University of Oxford; George Mason University; Lomonosov Moscow State University Degrees / Programs PhD, Political Economy; Master of Public Policy, Public Administration; Specialist (Applied Master's), Journalism; Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship, Political Economy Career Overview of Vera Kichanova: Kichanova began her career in journalism, working with Novaya Gazeta, Voice of America, and Slon.ru, where she covered politics, society, and economics. She later became Editor-in-Chief of Reed Media at Atlas Network, leading editorial production and public-engagement activities. After completing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford, she moved into urban strategy and worked at Zaha Hadid Architects from 2017 to 2024. Alongside her architectural and policy work, she developed an academic specialization in political economy, earning a PhD from King's College London. Since 2022, she has also worked as Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation. Career Timeline: Year Career Development 2009–2011 Journalist / Novaya Gazeta — Worked as a journalist in Moscow. 2011–2012 Journalist / Voice of America — Worked as a part-time journalist covering news and current affairs. 2012–2015 Journalist / Slon.ru — Authored more than 400 articles on politics, society, and economics, as well as a monthly column. 2015–2016 Editor-in-Chief / Reed Magazine, Atlas Network — Led the editorial team, managed daily content production, and organized lectures and public-engagement events across Ukraine. 2017–2024 Senior Urban Strategist / Zaha Hadid Architects — Supported masterplans and tenders in more than 20 countries through site analysis, governance frameworks, socio-economic research, and policy work. Contributed to civic, transport, and mixed-use projects and developed internal research libraries. 2022–Present Senior Economist / Free Cities Foundation — Works part-time on economic policy and economic research, with a focus on urban governance and Free Cities.
Experience
Other
Sept 2022 to Present
Conducts economic research and provides expertise on urban economics and private governance.
Other
Zaha Hadid Architects
Jul 2017 to Nov 2024
Senior Urban Strategist
Other
Atlas Network
Jan 2015 to Sept 2016
Editor in Chief at Reed Magazine
Other
Slon.ru
Mar 2012 to Dec 2015
Journalist
Other
Voice of America
Sept 2011 to Feb 2012
Journalist
Other
Novaya Gazeta
Oct 2009 to Aug 2011
Journalist
Awards
- 2018: Universidad Francisco Marroquín FellowshipFellowship that enabled Kichanova to attend the 2018 Mont Pelerin Society General Meeting. The fellowship was associated with her work at King's College London.
- 2018: Friedrich A. Hayek FellowshipFellowship issued by the Mont Pèlerin Society and associated with King's College London. Kichanova was also the winner of the Third Prize in the 2018 Hayek Essay Contest for her essay, “From Sharing Economy to Private Cities: Why We Need Hayekian Competition in Urban Development.”
FAQs
- Vera Kichanova is currently a Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation, where she works on economic policy and economic research.