Adviser: Dr. Lisa Bates
Research Areas: Economic Development, community development, spatial justice
Year Started in Program: 2019
Biography:
Heather was inspired to enroll in PSU's Masters in Urban Studies program through her experience working as a Long Range Planner for the Hawai’i County Planning Department. In her work as a planner, she fell in love with public service and the potential to use her role as a means to help others. Likewise, her background in economics sparked an interest in the way social science research continuously reshapes our understanding of social systems and behavior. In her eyes, building a practical foundation along with research capacity opens an avenue for effective community advocacy. Her research centers on the combination of both data and community-driven approaches to advance effective and comprehensive decision-making. She hopes to one day contribute to the implementation of tools to promote social justice and equitable urban development. Through her internship with the City of Portland, she used GIS to develop a system of ranking city pump station properties with census indicators to support an equitable distribution of funding for facility improvements. This would create a basis for the city to engage marginalized communities on neighborhood improvements and promote “good neighbor” policies. All of this is part of a broader interest in framing City budgeting as both a participatory and redistributive process. In her free time, she enjoys playing her guitar, spending time with friends and family, and getting out in nature. In a dream life, she would help solve the world's problems by day and do community theatre at night.