Lauren Ames Fischer

Lauren Ames Fischer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning. She serves as Director of Research for the Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence, focusing on infrastructure systems, social equity, and urban development. Her work intersects transportation policy with racial and gender equity in public decision-making.

• Education: PhD in Urban Planning from Columbia University, MS from DePaul University, BA from Indiana University

Key research areas include:

• Racial equity in transit-oriented development
• Gender equity in transit planning
• Transit financing impacts on neighborhoods
• Community-engaged infrastructure reform
• Sustainable urban design

Her Healthy Infrastructure Plan collaboration with Lewisville, Texas received multiple 2023 awards and is used in educational programs. Funded by NSF, Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, and Environmental Defense Fund, she was recognized as 2024 Outstanding Educator of the Year.