Research Reports
I help organizations develop credible, evidence-based reports that strengthen advocacy, shape strategy, and build public trust.
Chicago's Hidden Housing Solution
How additional dwelling unit expansion can make city more affordable
01/23/2025
Chicago’s 2020 Additional Dwelling Unit Ordinance, while well-intentioned, has stifled development. Despite 71% of Chicagoans being in favor of putting additional dwelling units on existing residential lots – higher than the national average – restrictive and inequitable regulations have ensured very few are built.
Shaping Chicago
How ownership and trust influence engagement in building the city
03/15/2024
In this study of community-engagement in Chicago, I ask three core research questions:
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How do demographic characteristics, socio-economic conditions, and geographic boundaries influence patterns of trust and ownership across the city?
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How do residents and urban planners understand their sense of ownership over their communities, and how does their engagement in shaping the physical aspects of their neighborhood vary as a result?
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How do residents and urban planners form and establish a sense of trust between one another, and how does this trust or lack thereof influence their participation in shaping the physical aspects of their neighborhood?
Mandating Unaffordability
How Chicago’s housing
affordability requirements decrease
supply and increase costs
10/01/2025
As housing prices continue to soar out of reach for more Americans, an impulse from policy makers across the country has been to attempt to mandate “affordable” prices through legislation. Two-plus decades of evidence from Chicago shows those government mandates are counterproductive. They produce remarkably few units and limit the overall housing supply, driving up housing costs.
Display Case
The Impact of Harvard Yard’s Visual Culture on First Year Students’ Sense of Belonging and Campus Identity
04/15/2023
This study explores how Harvard Yard’s visual environment shapes first-year students’ sense of belonging—both to the institution and to one another. Drawing on interviews with a diverse group of freshmen, it finds that students develop “campus identity” in alignment with Harvard’s values, while forming “campus affinity” partly in opposition to institutional narratives. The report offers insights for institutions seeking to strengthen student belonging and improve campus design for newcomers.
