Lisa Freeman

Dr. Lisa Freeman is an Adjunct Professor in the Criminology Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Her research focuses on socio-legal studies, human geography, and urban planning, particularly examining law and regulation in urban contexts, gentrification, suburbanization of poverty, and municipal governance of low-income housing. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto's Department of Geography and Planning.

Her work includes studies on rooming houses/SRO dwellings regulation in Toronto and a SSHRC-funded postdoctoral project on public libraries and urban governance in Vancouver. She is currently co-Principal Investigator (with Dr. Julia Christensen) on a SSHRC-funded project exploring resource development and housing in the Northwest Territories. Freeman emphasizes community-engaged research, collaborating with marginalized communities and Northern Canadian groups.

Key research themes include housing inequality, urban marginality, and the intersection of legal frameworks with spatial practices. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges law, geography, and urban policy, addressing contemporary challenges like housing affordability and austerity-driven governance shifts.