Luca Pattaroni holds a Ph.D in Sociology from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS, Paris). He is lecturer and researcher at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology (Lasur) in the Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne and the National Centre of Competence in Research North South. He is also associated to the Groupe de Sociologie Morale et Politique (EHESS, Paris). Confronting political philosophy and empirical sociology, his research and publications deal with the dynamic interrelations between urban order, pluralism and justice. His current work focus on urban conflicts, livelihood and habitat in southern cities and residential choice in Switzerland.