Gretchen Lang

Gretchen Lang serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also earned her MA in 2016. Her academic profile centers on critical human geography with specialized expertise in food systems and migration dynamics.

Her educational background includes:

• MA, University of Colorado Boulder, 2016

Lang's research investigates the socio-spatial intersections of foodways, migration patterns, and urban development, particularly regarding affordable housing justice. Her work examines how alimentality and material culture shape migrant experiences within urban food geographies, contributing to broader discourses on spatial inequality and community resilience. Current projects reflect an applied focus on housing policy and urban planning through geographical lenses.

Recent teaching includes GEOG 2212: 'Location, Location, Location: Introduction to Affordable Housing and Urban Development Geographies' (Spring 2025) and GEOG 2092: 'Advanced Introduction to Human Geography' (Spring 2023). Her foundational scholarship emerged from her 2016 thesis 'Difference in the mouth: alimentality, matter and the meaning of foodways,' which established her methodological approach to embodied food practices.