Rebecca Summer

Rebecca Summer is an Associate Professor in the University Honors College at Portland State University, teaching core courses including Global City, Urban Social Science, and qualitative research methods, alongside upper-division seminars on gentrification and urban landscape analysis.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• MS in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• BA in American Studies from Yale University

Summer investigates how historical urban landscapes inform contemporary policy, inequality, and culture, specializing in vernacular environments like alleys and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Her work critically examines intersections between urban history, historic preservation, and gentrification, with deep focus on Washington, D.C. case studies revealing systemic property dynamics and cultural erasure.

She documents how abandoned industrial structures shape neighborhood identities and analyzes ADUs as affordable housing solutions, emphasizing participatory student engagement with Portland’s urban fabric through field-based research.

Her 2020-2021 publications demonstrate concentrated expertise in urban geography, exposing gentrification’s legal frameworks, Black historical erasure in revitalization narratives, and preservation’s role in mid-century urban transformation—all centered on Washington, D.C. as a microcosm of national urban policy failures.

Summer actively mentors undergraduate researchers in applied projects but has no documented scientific awards or formal lab affiliations.