Laila Kouta is a second-year master student pursing a degree in Urban Planning and Policy Design at Politecnico di Milano. With a background in Architecture from Cairo, Egypt, her interests have grown in recent years into the field of urban planning, looking at the forces that shape contemporary cities.

Her current research work focuses on how processes of financialization shape the production of urban space, with a specific interest in large-scale private developments. Through a case study approach centered on New Cairo, she examines how land is transformed into a financial asset and how this transformation impacts accessibility, spatial organization, and socio-economic inclusion.