Housing & Neighborhoods

Housing & Neighborhoods

When researching housing and neighborhoods, a community-focused lens is critical. Partnerships between researchers and residents fosters a comprehensive understanding of the most pressing problems that threaten quality of life and brings forth the best understanding of how these issues may be addressed. From Oakland to Boston, Toronto to Maine, C2C researchers have taken a role in projects focused on environmental justice, education, infrastructure, and more that actively engage the communities we call home.​

Check out our new and ongoing projects below, or get in touch if you have a research question you want answered.​

New Projects​

Cara Michell: Resurrecting Black Spatial Imaginaries​

• In partnership with Shanna Sabio of the Brooklyn community arts organization GrowHouse, Cara Michell will facilitate a participatory mapping workshop series and research process rooted in the legacy of the Flatbush African Burial Ground. As part of Cara’s ongoing project, Black Psychogeographies, these maps will document spatial stories about Black memory, history, and future visions for the site. ​

Ongoing Projects

Cliff Lee: Creative Industry Pathway and the Future of Oakland​

• This project evaluates the impact of creative industry pathway programs in the Oakland school system. Partnering with Civic Design Studio, the goal of the study is to better understand how we can support workforce development efforts for youth and introduce them to various mediums of design through public art projects.​

Mario Hernandez: Community Innovation Lab: Countering Gentrification​

• In partnership with Dr. Shellae Versey, this project co-develops a Community Innovation Lab to serve as a center for community researchers, activists, and policymakers to counteract the harmful effects of gentrification. This project evaluates the pilot efforts of the lab by working with Homies Empowerment to assess their recent land acquisition for affordable housing and food resources.​

Miki Hong: Understanding the Role of Tobacco Control in Community Health for Underrepresented Groups​

• The goal of this project is to examine the correlation between tobacco control recommendations in comprehensive plans and existing legislation in municipal government. Partnering with city officials from the Bay Area, this project builds capacity for tobacco control by supporting smoke-free multiunit housing policy backed by comprehensive plans that have worked in the past. ​

Patrice Williams: The Healthy Neighborhoods Study​

• Since 2021, Patrice has been providing research support as a member of the Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium (HNRC). This support includes providing accessible outputs from the HNS dataset that our partners can use in their grant applications for programmatic support; data management of HNS data; and maintenance of data dashboards. Patrice is a part of 2 ongoing HNRC projects receiving external funding with one additional project under review.​

Patrice Williams: Climate Justice Ready​

• The purpose of this study is to conduct an international comparative study of climate-related risks to gentrification for historically vulnerable populations in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, and Barcelona.​

Sara Carr: Refuge: Community-Guided Design Guidelines for Extreme Heat and Green Space Inequity in Chelsea, MA​

• Extreme heat spatial and health inequities as the brunt of heat islands, flooding, and air pollution fall on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. These places often lack the natural infrastructure that can mitigate these environmental effects. Partnering with GreenRoots, this project seeks to advance best practices for public space, shade, and cooling as a civic resource and means towards climate justice. ​

Jeremy Sorgen: Talking Transitions​

• In collaboration with the Oakland Mayor’s Office and CBOs, Talking Transition engaged Oakland residents and generated 10,000 survey responses on public safety, housing and homelessness, and economic development. The NU team is developing a policy report on the results of the survey and anticipates community-engaged follow up data collection. ​