Title and department: Assistant Professor, Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture
Hometown: Brownsville, Texas
Educational/professional background: Architect, urban designer and urban planner by training
How did you get into your field of research?
As the daughter of a contractor and a community organizer, I like to say that my parents have been huge influencers on my career. As a child being around construction sites, I wanted to grow up and design buildings, but I quickly learned that I cared a lot more about people and that has had a significant influence on my focus on community driven planning efforts.
Could you please describe your area of focus?
I am particularly interested in the design of the smart, green and just city, and how inclusion within the planning process can build a more pluralistic 21st-century city. Through both research and practice, my work seeks to bridge the gap between communities and city governments to help define the design agency of Latinos, a traditionally under-represented group. My teaching and research are theoretically grounded, people-oriented and driven by the motivation to propose applicable solutions to real-world problems. My courses bridge the divide between theory and practice by taking students out of the classroom to engage in discourse with communities.
What main issue do you address or problem do you seek to solve in your work?
My focus within the study of justice and the built environment is motivated by the fundamental question of how Latinos have a voice in the 21st-century American city. More specifically, I seek to understand their place in the city in an era of increased marginalization of the urban poor and the privatization of social goods. My current research examines the creation of place in 21st-century American cities through the study of four selected Latino vendor market case studies in California and Texas. In a context of physical isolation produced by 20th-century development, it examined territories of sprawling landscapes in American cities that are being given a second life with the weekly interjection of markets that are servicing a predominately Latino population. This research analyzes vendor markets as a potential resurgence of public life and examines the role they play as cultural landscapes and social infrastructure within cities.
What attracted you to UW-Madison?
I was attracted to the university primarily because of my new department; as a designer and planner, the Department of Planning Landscape Architecture presented me a unique opportunity to continue to thrive in both fields while exploring complex urban problems through interdisciplinary collaboration.
What was your first visit to campus like?
My first visit was in December 2018, when I came for my campus visit (job interview). It was 20 degrees, but sunny, so although it was freezing for me, everyone around me described it as a crisp spring-like day. I was shocked, but walking on the frozen lake was a memorable experience. Overall, everyone was incredibly welcoming and seeing students be excited about having me join the faculty was also a positive experience.
What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with?
Two core experiences shape my approach to teaching. First, my research projects have brought theory and a broad social justice lens to critical real-world planning and design problems that require interdisciplinary inquiry. Second, my non-elite background required that I learn to succeed in elite university settings, giving me a deep understanding of the unique challenges for and contributions of students that come from non-traditional or underrepresented backgrounds.
I bring these experiences to a teaching practice shaped by three primary goals: (1) that students have an opportunity to be heard through innovative studio and classroom techniques, since not all are groomed for traditional collegial debate; (2) that students have opportunities to learn in multiple ways, through contributions to the course curriculum, through multi-media and through active engagement in research and studio settings; and (3) that architecture, planning and urban design teaching can help students scrutinize inequality and social justice both globally and in their own communities.
Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how.
Absolutely. My work aims to serve the community through public outreach and planning for underrepresented communities.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties?
One of my areas of focus is economic development. I fun fact I like to share is that if Latinos in the U.S. would form their own country, this country would be the 7th largest economy in the world
What are you looking forward to doing or experiencing in Madison?
In the short term, I look forward to experiencing my first “real” winter. In the long term, I look forward to continuing to grow as a scholar and teaching among this great community.
Hobbies/other interests:
I love running, discovering the trails system in Madison has been fun and going to the Saturday farmers market at the Capitol is a new tradition of mine.