5Q - Julie Mah, Assistant Professor, Human Geography

What does your research focus on? 

As an urban planning scholar, I am deeply dedicated to issues related to housing affordability and the planning mechanisms that can be employed to increase the development of affordable and social housing and address socio-spatial inequality. My research focuses on affordable housing issues, evictions, gentrification and displacement, and equitable development approaches.

I study gentrification and displacement because I’m interested in how these processes have contributed to the affordable housing crisis. I not only consider gentrification in abstract terms; I also consider it materially in how it impacts the everyday life of non-gentrifiers. If we can better understand how gentrification occurs, then we can design better planning interventions to address this problem.

Assistant Professor Julie Mah

In general, my research engages with these larger questions: how do we create more just cities? What does equitable development look like? I examine these questions from a housing lens, as the type of housing and the cost of housing determines who can live in certain places and who is excluded. Considering how income intersects with race, gender, ability, and age, the lack of affordable housing in more desirable neighbourhoods is a powerful exclusionary tool.

I also seek to connect my research to practice by enabling a better understanding of the problem or by evaluating the effectiveness of policy interventions. Research that is grounded in local realities and knowledge can contribute to creating change.

How (or why) did you become interested in that line of research? 

I have a non-profit housing background and have always been passionate about housing justice. Housing is a fundamental human right. Everyone should have access to decent, affordable housing, as housing stability affects so many important aspects of a person’s life and forms the foundation for positive educational, employment, and health outcomes. Where you live tends to determine whether you have easy access to healthy food, reliable transit, and excellent amenities. Where you live can also determine whether your children will receive high-quality public education, which in turn affects their ability to access higher education and lucrative employment opportunities.

What’s the most interesting (or underappreciated) aspect of your research that most people won’t know about?

What gets missed in many research projects, not just mine, is just how much time and effort goes into making just one map or graph or table that tracks the number and depth of affordability of units that have been secured over time.

Research in many ways is uncovering different pieces of evidence and seeing how they fit together to tell a story that sheds light on a problem and its underlying structural causes. Understanding and making these connections can form the basis of a major research agenda.

Why did you choose UTSC?

The opportunity to return home was a strong deciding factor. However, I was also drawn by the diversity of students at UTSC, and UTSC’s mission and values that envision a community of leaders who unsettle the status quo and the centering of students as active partners in the educational process. Another major factor was the opportunity to grow as a scholar through collaborations and engagement with colleagues who are highly respected researchers and theorists.

What are you reading/watching right now?

Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.