Faculty Spotlight

Kelly Patterson.
“Racial and class segregation relegate the poor and minorities to the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. The findings of my research excite me because they can actually have an impact on policy decisions. ”

My main focus was on the people impacted by planning decisions and social policies that differentially impacted certain groups, especially the poor, in society. 

I was always interested in poverty and inequality and the intersection of race and class. For me, that is most clearly demonstrated in the housing market where racial and class segregation relegate the poor and minorities to the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. I became more interested in how neighborhood outcomes affect people’s quality of life. 

The findings of my research excite me because they can actually have an impact on policy decisions. We found that neighborhood outcomes are related to housing stability for the formally homeless—a relationship not previously examined.

I believe everyone has the right to access decent affordable housing in neighborhoods that afford them opportunities for social and economic mobility. That is the importance of research that informs policy supporting subsidized housing mobility programs.