Lisa K. Bates, Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University, has been selected as the Portland Professor in Innovative Housing Policy, as announced today by Stephen L. Percy, Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs.
Portland Professorships are designed to recruit and retain world-class faculty to Portland State University, thus attracting exceptional students, empowering the university’s research, and serving the surrounding community. Portland Professorships are made possible by generous donors who provide $25,000 each year for five years to support applied research, convening and community-building, disseminating knowledge, and translating knowledge into practice.
The new Portland Professorship in Innovative Housing Policy is being funded by donors Jim and Mary Beth Irvine, native Oregonians who believe that housing should be available to everyone. Jim Irvine was a member of the first graduating class when PSU because a university, and he credits his degree for his career success.
“I'll be developing a research agenda through engagement with the community partners who help me to connect academic inquiry with their work on the ground,” says Bates. “It's especially meaningful that this professorship was made possible by Jim and Mary Beth Irvine, given our shared commitment to equal access to housing and opportunity.”
Bates’ scholarship focuses on housing and community development policy and planning, attending to the legacies of discrimination in urban policy-making. Bates has engaged in research and policy formulation with a variety of community partners, including ACORN Housing Corporation, the Multnomah Youth Commission, the Portland Housing Center, Portland African-American Leadership Forum, the Urban Displacement Project, and PolicyLink. She currently serves on the NNE Housing Strategy Oversight Committee for the Portland Housing Bureau, helping to guide the City’s anti-displacement program in gentrifying neighborhoods. Her research and teaching were recognized with the inaugural Ed Sullivan Housing Advocate award from Oregon's Housing Land Advocates and Cal Poly-Pomona's Dale Prize for scholarly excellence.
“I am delighted to announce the creation of a new Portland Professorship in Innovative Housing Policy and the appointment of Lisa Bates to hold this position,” says Dean Percy. “Through the very generous support of Jim and Mary Beth Irvine, we will increase our attention to complex and challenging issues of housing in our community and region.”