Kathryn Howell is the Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and an Associate Professor, Urban Studies & Planning Program at the University of Maryland – College Park. Dr. Howell’s research unpacks concepts of physical and cultural displacement and power in changing communities and investigates ways that policy and planning can be used to address these issues. Specifically, she researches the polices, governance structures and roles of tenants and advocacy in the redevelopment efforts. Her book, Affordable Housing Preservation in Washington, DC: A Framework for Local Funding, Collaborative Governance and Community Organizing for Change focuses on the ways tenants can be centered in policies and practices that keep housing affordable as cities change. Before coming to the University of Maryland, she co-founded and co-directed the RVA Eviction Lab, a community-responsive data initiative at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was also a professor of Urban Planning. In that role, engaged with a range of community partners to ensure data supported housing justice efforts of organizers, affordable housing providers and policy advocates. Before pursuing a Ph.D., Dr. Howell worked for the state of Maryland and Washington, DC governments at housing and community development agencies where she focused on affordable housing preservation, state-program monitoring and inclusionary zoning programs.
