Carrie Makarewicz PhD
Associate Professor & Department Chair
- Urban and Regional Planning Department
Dr. Carrie Makarewicz is an associate professor and department chair at the University of Colorado Denver. She joined the faculty in 2013. Her research focuses on how the interactions among public investments, development, and public policies affect human development, through their effects on household income, accessible and safe neighborhoods, housing affordability, individual health and well-being, access to regional opportunities, and environmental quality. Her work has examined access to public transportation and active modes, affordable housing outcomes, how the built environment affects families’ daily lives, public-private initiatives focused on arts and sustainability, and post-disaster housing recovery. In her five years at the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), she co-developed the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index and worked on programs for equitable approaches to carsharing, energy efficiency, green buildings, and transit-oriented development. She has been an active member of several committees focused on equity in planning, including STAR Community Index’s Affordability and Equity Technical Advisory Committee for eight years; the Task Force for the American Planning Association’s Planning for Equity Policy Guide; the Public Schools Interest Group in the American Planning Association, Meow Wolf Denver’s Community Advisory Committee to guide and track the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility commitments; the City of Denver’s COVID Mobility Task Force; and the Auraria Campus’s Gentrification and Urban Displacement Task Force. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, a Master’s in Urban Planning and Public Affairs from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
Carrie Makarewicz developed this generalized zoning map of the Denver region for a study on housing affordability causes and outcomes to inform local and national solutions.
Areas of Expertise
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Equitable approaches to multi-modal transportation planning
- Regional sustainability
- Affordable housing
- Planning for public schools and implications of school reform
- Community benefits agreements, including for artists and musicians
Education, Licensure & Certifications
DEGREES HELD
- PhD, City & Regional Planning. University of California, Berkeley Dissertation: Examining the influence of the urban environment on caregivers' time, energy and resources for engagement in their children's learning and development
- Master of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. University of Illinois-Chicago. Concentrations: Community Development, Economic Development Masters Project: Chicago City Outlook: The city's fiscal condition 1985-2000
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, and Liberal Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Resumes/CV:
Awards
AWARDS RECEIVED
- 2026 Auraria Historical Advocacy Coalition, support of the Displaced Aurarians through advocacy, technical assistance, and inclusion in the Ball Arena Community Benefits Agreement
- 2023 College of Architecture & Planning, CU Denver, Evolutionary Award (inaugural year, nominated and voted on by students, staff, and faculty)
- 2022 College of Architecture & Planning, CU Denver, Excellence in Teaching Award ($500)
- 2022 Member Recognition, Public Schools Interest Group of the American Planning Association
- 2021 CU Denver Pandemic Research and Creative Activities Awards: Pivot Award for Research, University of Colorado Denver
- 2020-2021 University of Colorado, Excellence in Leadership Program, Denver Cohort
- 2019 Distinguished Service Award, Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
- 2017 University of Colorado Denver Excellence in Leadership & Service ($1500)
- 2015 American Planning Association, Colorado Chapter, Honor Award for Recent Student Project, Supervision of Studio Project: “Transit Zone Evaluations”
- 2013 University of Colorado Denver, Faculty Council, Service Award
RECENT GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
- 2026 Arnold Ventures: Peer Cohort Affordable Housing Developers’ Capacity Building Seminar, PI ($105,000), with Megan Yonke, Deputy Director, Colorado Department of Housing
- 2025 Colorado Housing Finance Authority. Affordable Housing Fund to launch a graduate affordable housing certificate. Fund manager ($500,000)
- 2024 Gates Family Foundation. North Denver Electric Trucking Just Transition Engagement to the Community Collaborative Research Center and GreenLatinos Co-PI ($20,000 to CU Denver, $20,000 to GreenLatinos).
- 2024 National Science Foundation. Building regional climate resilience and social equity through housing and land use policy. Co-PI ($1,800,000)
- 2024 Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). University of Colorado Denver Research Assistant for DRCOG. PI ($25,000 for graduate student fellow and scholarship)
- 2024 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Mountain West Climate-Health Hub. Sub-award ($10,000)
- 2024 Gates Family Foundation. Emergency Grant for Ball Arena Community Benefits Agreement Committee (BACBAC). Committee member ($15,000)
- 2023 Urban Land Institute, Terwilliger Center. Seeking Housing Affordability in the Denver Metro Area:
- Detailing the causes and outcomes of the housing crisis to inform local and national solutions. PI ($5,000)
- 2023 University of Colorado Denver Research Assistant for Denver Regional Council of Governments. PI ($25,000 for scholarships and graduate student hourly wages)
- 2023 National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mountain West ACE-CH Hub: Climate Change Engagement Platform to Support Resilient Rural and Urban Communities. Climate Science Advisory Board member ($6,000)
- 2023 State of Colorado Zoning Atlas as part of the National Zoning Atlas. Subawardee to Radian, Inc., via the Mercatus Foundation. State Lead ($20,000)
Affiliations
AFFILIATIONS
- Planners Network
- American Planning Association
- WTS
- Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- 2019-2021 Vice President, Faculty Women’s Interest Group, American Collegiate Schools of Planning
- 2017 Policy Equity Guide Task Force (and author) for the American Planning Association
- 2020 Steering Committee Chair for Reports and Research, Public Schools Interest Group of the American Planning Association
- 2015-2020 Founding Co-chair, Public Schools Interest Group of the American Planning Association
- 2014-2017 Advisory Board, Mile High Connects, Denver, CO
- 2016 Awards Committee, Metro Vision 2035, Denver Regional Council of Governments
- 2015 Awards Selection Committee for Dialog 6: Right to the City, articles authored by members of ACSP-accredited institutions
- 2014-2015 Awards Committee, Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association
- 2015-2017 Women in Transportation Advisory Group, West Central Region of the US DOT
- 2008-2016 STAR Communities Sustainability Index, Technical Advisory Committee on Equity and Empowerment, and Technical Advisory Group. Sponsored by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, U.S. Green Building Conference, and the Center for American Progress.