Aaron Passell

Aaron Passell serves as Associate Director of Urban Studies and GS Major Advisor at Barnard College, based in the Urban Studies Office at 719 Milstein Learning Center. He maintains regular office hours on Tuesdays from 2:00-4:00 PM and is accessible via email and phone for academic guidance.

Professor Passell specializes in urban sociology with a focus on the built environment as a social process. His research examines how diverse actors—including planners, preservationists, and neighborhood activists—influence urban design and development while being shaped by these processes. Key interests include historic preservation policy, multifaceted gentrification patterns, urban environmental challenges, and demographic shifts in shrinking American cities.

His scholarly contributions include two major monographs: Preserving Neighborhoods (Columbia University Press, 2021), which investigates how historic district designation affects neighborhood change, and Building the New Urbanism (Routledge, 2013), analyzing the emergence of neo-traditional planning movements. These works establish him as a significant voice in urban studies literature.

As an educator, Professor Passell teaches foundational courses including Urban Studies Senior Seminar, Introduction to Urban Studies, and Introduction to Urban Sociology. In his dual administrative roles, he shapes program curriculum while providing personalized academic advising to undergraduate majors, emphasizing practical engagement with urban issues through his teaching and mentorship.