Leslie McLees

Leslie McLees is a Senior Instructor and Undergraduate Director in the Department of Geography at the University of Oregon. She also serves as Program Director for General Social Sciences and an academic advisor. Her work focuses on urban geography, postcolonial studies, and natural resource management in African and Asian contexts. McLees holds a faculty position within the College of Arts and Sciences, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to land tenure, urban agriculture, and development challenges.

Her research examines urban farms in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, exploring issues of land access, postcolonial urban dynamics, and material flows. She also investigates economic development and tourism impacts in Lesotho’s highlands. McLees has contributed to studies on equity in community-based resource management, particularly in Asia and Africa, highlighting tensions between local communities and institutional frameworks.

Her articles blend qualitative methods like participatory mapping with policy analysis, addressing themes of sustainability, inequality, and spatial justice. McLees maintains active roles in undergraduate education, curriculum development, and academic advising within the Geography Department and broader College of Arts and Sciences.