Patty Heyda

Patty Heyda is a Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, affiliated with the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Her work focuses on urban and architectural design, with an emphasis on spatial justice, suburban transformation, and racial inequalities in American cities. She holds a Master of Architecture (distinction) from Harvard University.

Her research explores 'erasure urbanism,' privatization in weak market cities, and the intersection of race and redevelopment. Key projects include Radical Atlas (2024), analyzing Ferguson's structural contradictions, and co-authored Rebuilding the American City (2016). She also leads the Lab for Suburbia, investigating small-town urban dynamics.

Recent articles address topics like 'Food Desert' (2023) and 'The Façade of Redevelopment' (2022). Her work appears in Journal of Architectural Education, Architecture is All Over, and Domus. Awards include the APA St. Louis Dwight F. Davis Award (2022) and Mellon Foundation grants.

Heyda’s professional collaborations include projects with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, and her work has been exhibited at venues like the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. She advocates for equitable urban design through public-facing writing in Fast Company, City Lab, and The Conversation.