Sana Ahrar
- Ph.D. Candidate | Architecture
Biography
Sana Ahrar is a Ph.D. candidate in Architecture, where she teaches Architecture 100: Architecture and Ideas. She has also taught design studios and courses for Penn State’s LEAP Program and the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Summer Camp.
Her research examines the intersection of housing, urban design, and social equity, focusing on how urban residents, particularly the ‘missing-middle’ class, navigate formal and informal housing markets in the Global South. Using interdisciplinary methodologies that integrate architectural design, participatory research, and social science perspectives, she investigates how community-driven processes shape urban environments. Her work addresses key questions on agency in city-making, the socio-spatial impacts of informal urbanization, and the role of design in fostering sustainable and inclusive development.
Sana’s work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences, contributing to discussions on housing, urban morphology, urban regeneration, and postcolonial planning. She has received the Waddell Biggart Graduate Fellowship and the ARCC King Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural and Environmental Design Research. She has also won awards in architecture and urban design competitions.
Sana is an active peer reviewer for international journals and conferences. She serves as the editor of Hyphen, the Department of Architecture’s academic journal, and as the Access, Wellbeing, and Equity Ambassador for the Stuckeman School.