+ Ph.D., Urban & Regional Planning,
University of California, Irvine
+ M.A., Sociology,
The Pennsylvania State University
+ B.A., Sociology & Administrative Studies,
University of California, Riverside
Courses
PLAN 704: Planning Theory
PLAN 799 (64): Diversity & Inequality in Cities
PLAN 764: Community Development Techniques
Research and Practice
Dr. Nguyen joined the department in January 2006 and is a faculty member in the Housing and Community Development specialization. The overarching theme within Dr. Nguyen's research agenda involves equity within the social and physical world. She combines her background in sociology and urban planning to understand how planning processes and public policies reinforce disadvantages or creates opportunities for underserved populations. Her body of work includes research on: contemporary immigration policy, affordable housing policy, the mobility of Section 8 voucher recipients, residential preferences and segregation, growth management, urban sprawl, and the relationship between urban design and mobility. She is currently working on the Building Resilient Regions project funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
In 2006-2007, Dr. Nguyen was a GlaxoSmithKline Faculty Fellow with the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) and grappled with immigration dilemmas facing the state of North Carolina. She is working on a project that examines the costs and consequences of local anti-immigration ordinances to North Carolina communities.
In the Spring of 2008, Dr. Nguyen was selected to be a Faculty Engaged Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill. In this role, she will work on an engaged research project with the Department of Community Development in Durham to help revitalize disadvantaged neighborhoods. As an engaged scholar, she is committed to connecting her students to service learning opportunities within the community and incorporating current planning dilemmas facing local communities into the classroom.
Dr. Nguyen has held appointments as a dissertation fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and a Senior Research Associate at the Solimar Research Group.
Selected publications
+ Nguyen, Mai Thi. (2009). “Why do Communities Mobilize Against Growth: Community Status, Metropolitan Hierarchy, or Strategic Interaction?” Journal of Urban Affairs 31(1).
+ Joh, Kenneth, Marlon G. Boarnet, Mai Thi Nguyen, William Fulton, Wally Siembab, and Susan Weaver. (Forthcoming). “Accessibility, Travel Behavior, and New Urbanism: Case Study of Mixed-Use Centers and Auto-Oriented Corridors in the South Bay Region.” Transportation Research Record.
+ Nguyen, Mai Thi. (2007) "Five Myths about Illegal Immigration in North Carolina." Institute for Emerging Issues, NC State.
+ Nguyen, Mai Thi. (2007). "Local Growth Control at the Ballot Box: Real Effects or Symbolic Politics?" Journal of Urban Affairs 29(2): 129-147.
+ Basolo, Victoria and Mai Thi Nguyen. (2005). "Does Mobility Matter? An Analysis of Housing Voucher Holders' Neighborhood Conditions by Race and Ethnicity." Housing Policy Debate 16(3/4): 297-324.
+ Nguyen, Mai Thi. (2005). "Does Affordable Housing Detrimentally Impact Property Values? A Review of the Literature." Journal of Planning Literature 20(1): 15-26.
+ Nguyen, Mai Thi. (2004). "The Self-Segregation of Asians and Hispanics: The Role of Assimilation and Racial Prejudice." Race and Society 7(2): 131-151.
+ Fulton, William, Rolf Pendall, Mai Thi Nguyen, and Alicia Harrison. (2001). "Who Sprawls Most? How Growth Patterns Differ Across the U.S." Washington, DC: The Brookings Institute.
professional activities
+ Diversity Committee Faculty Member, Department of City & Regional Planning, UNC-Chapel Hill
+ Reviewer - Journal of Urban Affairs, Urban Affairs Review, State and Local Government Review
media releases
Student Project in CD Techniques Course, Spring 2009
Student Presentation at City Hall, CD Techniques Course, Spring 2009