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About Marisa A. Zapata

As an educator, scholar, and planner, Dr. Zapata is committed to achieving spatially - based social justice by preparing planners to act in the face of the uncertain and inequitable futures we face. She believes how we use land reflects our social and cultural values. Dr. Zapata’s research can be divided into three interrelated questions: 1) How can future-oriented actors plan across deeply embedded cultural differences to produce just and sustainable places?; 2) How can planners prepare places to act in the face of uncertainty and the multiple futures that may unfold in a given place?; and 3) What are the most effective institutional arrangements between governments and civic society to collaborate regionally? She is especially concerned about equitable planning for uncertain futures in highly diverse communities.

Positions

2023 - Present Co-director, Portland State University ‐ Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies
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2019 - Present Director, Portland State University ‐ Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative
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September 2018 - Present Associate Professor, Portland State University ‐ Urban Studies and Planning
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Present Affiliated Faculty, Portland State University ‐ Chicano/Latino Studies
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2013 - 2018 Assistant Professor, Portland State University ‐ Urban Studies and Planning
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Committee Member, Portland State University ‐ Masters in Real Estate Development
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Curriculum Vitae

Disciplines

Research Interests

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Courses

Education

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2009 Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ‐ Regional Planning
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2004 M.U.P., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ‐ Urban Planning
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1999 B.A., Rice University ‐ Anthropology
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Links

Contact Information

Urban Center, 370H
(503) 725-8770

Email:

Media (7)

Research Works (25)