Charisma Acey

Charisma Acey is an Associate Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, and holds the Arcus Chair in Social Justice and the Built Environment. Her research focuses on sustainable urban development, environmental justice, and equitable access to basic services in global contexts. She has conducted fieldwork in Africa and Latin America, examining water governance, food systems, and participatory planning strategies. Acey has over 20 years of combined academic and field experience, including roles as a senior manager in NGOs, a U.S. State Department Fellow in Malawi, and an American Marshall Memorial Fellow to Europe.

Education includes a Ph.D. and Master of Public Policy in Urban Planning from UCLA, and a B.A. in English/Afro-American Studies from California State University, Northridge. She teaches courses on sustainability, environmental planning, and the human right to water, emphasizing community-based approaches and spatial analysis.

Her awards include Hellman Fellow, Regents Junior Faculty Fellow, and Excellence in Faculty Advising from UC Berkeley. Her work bridges academia with practical interventions, supporting marginalized communities through equitable policy design and grassroots initiatives. Notable projects include participatory re-zoning for urban agriculture in the San Francisco East Bay and studies on cross-subsidies for sanitation in Kenyan cities.

Acey collaborates with organizations like the Kirwan Institute (where she previously held a joint appointment) and has engaged in global health equity research through the Health Equity Leadership Institute. Her research often addresses structural barriers to sustainability, linking urban planning to social justice outcomes.