معرفی
C. Aujean Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah and a Research Affiliate at the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. Her work sits at the intersection of urban planning, racial equity, and immigrant community development, emphasizing how planning tools can advance inclusive neighborhoods.
Education
- PhD in Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles
- Master of Urban Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Focus
Lee’s scholarship interrogates the production of racialized spaces and disparities in housing, community institutions, and wealth. She investigates when and where socioeconomic outcomes tied to the built environment reinforce or disrupt racial inequities, especially during moments of change and upheaval. Bridging planning education and practice, her current projects examine institutional and organizational practices that can foster anti-racist, community-led change.
Across her publications she explores:
- anti-racist planning pedagogy and student experiences
- community land trusts as tools for immigrant-inclusive affordable housing
- subprime lending, fintech, and foreclosure risks in immigrant gateway metros
- nonprofit roles in neighborhood planning and community organizing
- government responses to anti-Asian hate during COVID-19
Scientific Awards & Recognition
- UCLA Don T. Nakanishi Award for Outstanding Engaged Scholarship
- University of Oklahoma Inclusive Excellence Faculty Grant
Grants & Funding
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant Community Land Trusts in Welcoming Cities: Building Inclusive Housing Models for Immigrants (2022–2024)
Teaching & Mentorship
Lee teaches courses on community engagement in planning, ecological planning workshops, graduate seminars, and professional internships. She has over 18 years of partnership with immigrant-serving nonprofits in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, integrating community knowledge into the classroom and mentoring students committed to equity-centered practice.
