Ongoing Projects Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy % -

Cliff Lee

Policy Partner: Civic Design Studio, HKIT architects, MidPen Housing, Laney College, Oakland Unified School District

Creative Industry Pathway and the Future of Oakland

This proposal seeks to examine the impact of a community-based, high school and community college creative industries pathway program. Partnering with Civic Design Studio, an organization that specializes in cultural impact projects; “large-scale public displays, cultural celebrations and multigenerational design build projects,” this study seeks to understand how we can support workforce development in the creative industries. The goal is to introduce teen and young adult artists to creating multimodal public art that incorporates various techniques (painting, illustration, digital design, mixed media, digital fabrication, and more) with industry partners in housing and architecture. Utilizing a participatory action research methodology, data will be collected from key stakeholders to answer the question: What extent does industry partnerships support authentic learning and workforce development in the creative industries?

Mario Hernandez

Policy Partner: G.T. Reyes, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, CSU East Bay, Board Member, Homies Empowerment

Community Innovation Lab: Countering Gentrification

Dr. Shellae Versey and Mario Hernandez are co-developing a Community Innovation Lab which will serve as a central resource for academics, activists, and policymakers working to counteract the harmful effects of gentrification. Given the rapid pace of gentrification and displacement in cities around the world, The Lab will serve as a collective hub and incubator lab for innovative ideas and creative solutions for preserving and improving communities facing the threat of displacement and other harmful consequences of gentrification. The Lab will examine both large-scale policy and community-led initiatives to characterize the full scope and success of anti-displacement measures. We plan to partner with Homies Empowerment, a grassroots, community-based organization based in Oakland that focuses on the city’s youth. Our goal is to evaluate their pilot efforts centered on a recent acquisition of a property in East Oakland that they are working to convert into affordable housing. This program may serve as a model for sustainable community-led land reclamation and anti-displacement strategies in communities around the country.

Miki Hong

Policy Partner: Guido Persicone, Planning Manager, City of East Palo Alto

Understanding the Role of Tobacco Control in Community Health for Underrepresented Groups

Public health and urban planning share social justice concerns related to equity and access to essential services. I study urban planning strategies to aid tobacco control and demonstrate that there is a direct relationship between design and livability. Public health advocates, through their involvement in the creation of nonbinding “comprehensive” plans, affect land use agendas. Clean air with smoke-free spaces and tobacco-free green spaces is a determinant of health that has generated community activity to pursue changes in tobacco-use policies. My research aims to understand how communities can ensure that their health goals are not outclassed by competing interests when legislation is drafted to implement goals in the “comprehensive” plan.

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

Policy Partner: Bianca Bowman, Climate Justice Coordinator, GreenRoots

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

Extreme heat widens spatial and health inequities as the brunt of heat islands, flooding, and air pollution fall on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color which often also lack parks and urban tree canopy that can mitigate these environmental effects. Prioritizing public space improvements that provide shade and cooling in the summers and opportunities for year-round activities should be prioritized as a key civic infrastructure. This proposal, based in Chelsea, MA, with GreenRoots as a partner, 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.