Emily Talen

in
photo of Emily Talen

Professor

COOR 5636
(480) 965-2055
etalen@asu.edu

Additional
Affiliation(s):

Affiliate Faculty, School of Sustainability, ASU
Adjunct Faculty, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning)
Co-Editor, Journal of Urbanism, published by Taylor & Francis

Education:

1995 - Ph.D. (Geography) University of California, Santa Barbara
1983 - M.C.R.P. (City and Regional Planning) Ohio State University
1980 - B.A. (Sociology) Calvin College

Research Interests:

Urban form, sustainable cities, new urbanism

Research Activities:

Urban Codes research: This research, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts , supports creation of a virtual book of urban codes, to be published on the web. The website will be an anthology of the codes, laws and related documents that have created, or sought to create, particular urban forms. It will be a searchable archive drawn from a broad array of historical documents. Codes are selected from around the world, and from all time periods. The website will include both legally-binding codes as well as customary rules that may not have involved a governing authority. These documents provide a rich cultural resource for urban planners, architects, and all others involved in the construction of place.

Affordable Housing in Walkable Neighborhoods: For this research, Talen (along with co-PI Julia Koschinsky), received one of six grants awarded under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Planning (HUD)’s 2010 Transformation Initiative: Sustainable Communities Research Grant Program ($500,000 over two years). The research is an in-depth, large-scale investigation of the link between subsidized housing and the walkability of urban neighborhoods. We are investigating where, and to what degree, walkability and affordability are in alignment, and, whether the benefit of affordable housing in walkable neighborhoods is compromised by negative factors such as crime, foreclosure risk, low market strength, and racial segregation. We plan to uncover the neighborhood profiles that are associated with different degrees of walkability and affordability.

Urban Design for urban planners: I have just completed a book (titled Urban Design Reclaimed: Tools, Techniques and Strategies for Planners, to be published by the American Planning Association - Planner's Press). This book is for anyone who believes that the design of the built environment is central to urban life and community well-being. Structured as a set of 10 exercises, the book offers step-by-step instruction on how to observe, analyze and design places that are civically-minded, well-functioning, and pedestrian-oriented. While intended for urban planners, architects, landscape architects, geographers, and community activists working in the field, the book could also serve as a text for students in any course that touches on issues of neighborhood, place, and community.

Selected Publications:

Books

Talen, E. 2011. City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form.  Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

Talen, E. 2009. Urban Design Reclaimed: Tools, Techniques and Strategies for Planners. Washington, D.C.: Planners Press (American Planning Association).  145 pages.

Talen, E. 2008. Design for Diversity: Exploring Socially Mixed Neighborhoods. London: Architectural Press (Elsevier). 246 pages.

Talen, E. 2005. New Urbanism and American Planning: The Conflict of Cultures. London: Routledge. 318 pages.

Journal Articles

Talen, E. 2011. The Geospatial Dimension in Urban Design. Journal of Urban Design 16, 1: 127-149.

Talen, E. and J Koschinsky. 2011.  Is Subsidized Housing in Sustainable Neighborhoods? Evidence from Chicago. Housing Policy Debate 21, 1: 1-28.

Talen, E. 2010. The Spatial Logic of Parks. Journal of Urban Design 15, 4: 473-494.

Talen, E. 2010. Affordability in New Urbanist Development: Principle, Practice, and Strategy. Journal of Urban Affairs 32, 4: 489-510.

Talen, E. 2010. The Context of Diversity: A Study of Six Chicago Neighborhoods. Urban Studies, 47, 3: 486-513.

Blanco, H., M. Alberti, A. Forsyth, K. J. Krizek, D. A. Rodríguez, E. Talen, C. Ellis. 2009. Hot, congested, crowded and diverse: Emerging research agendas in planning. Progress in Planning, 71, 4: 153-206.

Talen, E. 2009. Design by the Rules: The Historical Underpinnings of Form Based. Journal of the American Planning Association, 75, 2: 1-17.

Steffel, J. and E. Talen 2008. Affordable Housing in New Urbanist Communities: A Survey of Developers. Housing Policy Debate 19, 4: 583-613.

Talen, E. 2008. New Urbanism, Social Equity, and the Challenge of Post-Katrina Rebuilding in Mississippi. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 27: 277-293.

Talen, E. 2008. Beyond the Front Porch: Regionalist Ideals in the New Urbanist Movement. Journal of Planning History, 7(1): 20-47.

 

Courses Taught:

Courses currently taught at ASU:
New Urbanism, Principles of Urbanism, Urban Geography, Mapping Urbanism.

Courses previously taught:
Urban Structure and Function, Planning Capstone Workshop, Environmental Design Studio, The History and Planning of Cities, Community Design Workshop, Planning Analysis, Urban Structure and Function, Written and Graphic Communication Skills for Planners, Planning of Cities and Regions; Designing the City; Urban and Environmental Applications of GIS, Urban Growth and Structure.