Dr. Makarewicz is an associate professor and department chair at the University of Colorado Denver. She joined the faculty in 2013 and. 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.
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
2020-2021 University of Colorado, Excellence in Leadership Program, Denver Cohort 2019 Distinguished Service Award, Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) 2017 Excellence in Leadership & Service campus award. University of Colorado Denver ($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
2020 Planning Advisory Service Report on Public Schools and Planning for the American Planning Association, Lead Editor and Chapter Author($3,000), 2021 Undesigning the redline and reimagining mobility investments to equitably link jobs, affordable housing, and services PI ($50,000). The National Science Foundation Civic innovation Challenge, 2018 Modeling the Vulnerability of Mobile Home Parks to Disaster: A Longitudinal Study of Affordable Housing Loss After Hurricanes Harvey and Michael. The National Science Foundation co-PI ($439,711). Total project budget with Texas A&M($667,105), 2016 Bringing Stein back in: Regional planning, growth, and equity in the 21st century American west. Clarence S. Stein Institute for Urban and Landscape Studies, co-PI ($16,000), 2016 Baseline Evaluation for Sustainability Goals. Centro, RiNo Arts District, PI ($23,000), 2016 Neighborhood Study, Before and After Affordable Housing Development. Boulder Housing Partners and Boulder County Housing Authority PI ($24,292), 2014Outcomes Assessment and Knowledge Sharing, and Gold Corridor Affordable Housing Study. Sustainable Communities Initiative, Denver Regional Council of Governments and Department of Housing and Urban Development, Co-PI ($119,000), 2014 RAPID: Understanding Household Recovery Following the 2013 Colorado Flash Floods. National Science Foundation, Co-PI ($34,700), 2014 Bringing Stein back in: Regional planning and equity in the 21st Century American West. Clarence S. Stein Institute, Cornell University, Co-PI. ($20,000, declined), 2013 Understanding Household Recovery Following the 2013 Colorado Flash Floods. The Natural Hazards Center, Co-PI ($3,000).
Affiliations
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 2008-2016STAR 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.
Courses
MOST RECENT COURSES
- Regional Growth, and Equity
- Urban Development
- Capstone
- Ph.D. Colloquium
- Transit Planning
- Transit, Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning
- Greece Summer Studio on Sustainable Tourism Planning
- Planning Project Studio
- Improving K-12 Student Outcomes through an interdisciplinary lens (cross-listed with School of Public Affairs and School of Education and Human Development)
Other News & Events
SELECTED ARTICLES
2021 Interview Michael Abeyta, CBS Denver Channel 4, “Legacy Of Redlining Led To Today’s Black And Latino Families Being Pushed Out Of Denver”, February 1. 2020 Interview with Donna Bryson, The Denverite, “Chaffee Park rezoned in one swoop to allow ADUs”. Posted 8:47 PM, November 09.2019 Interview with Kevin Beaty, The Denverite, “When a holiday is not a holiday: Meet the workers of Labor Day in Denver. Three takeaways about the economy from a survey of people laboring on Labor Day, Posted 4:22 PM, September 02. 2019 Interview with Micha Smith, Channel 7, “Predicting gentrification: CU Denver research model predicts neighborhoods likely to gentrify, Posted: 9:50 AM, Jul 29. 2019 Interview with Donna Bryson, The Denverite, “Lakewood voters approve a 1 percent cap on growth”. July 2. 2019 Interview with Pratik Joshi, Boulder Daily Camera, “Chamber eyes collaborative approach to growing needs”. April 17. 2019 Interview with Donna Bryson, Denverite, “Lakewood voters will decide on an initiative aimed at controlling growth. April 10. 2019 Interview with Amanda Clark, Colorado Sun, “As development plans flood Denver’s poorest neighborhood, fear of gentrification lingers”. February 7. 2018 Interview with Allan Tell is, The Denverite, “Gentrification is changing the essence of 29th and Colorado”, December 5. 2018 Interview with David Gilbert, Colorado Community Media, “No easy fixes on horizon for Denver metro area housing crunch”, March 5.2018 Interview with Andrew Kenney, The Denverite, “What will “the least pedestrian friendly” part of Denver look like in 10 years?, February 1. 2017Interview with Koran Addo, St. Louis Dispatch, “Metro Link tax hike touted as way to move the city forward” Mar 26, 2017. 2017 Interview with Rachel Maclean, Canadian Broadcast Corporation, “Denver and the allure it has for millennials: What Calgary can do to attract a strong young workforce”, October 20. 2016 Interviews with John Hanc, New York Times, “Denver’s Appeal to Millennials? Jobs, Mountains and, Yes, Weed”, July 20. 2015Interview with Allen Best, Colorado Biz, “Cannabis driving Denver’s growth? Not likely”, December 16. 2015 Staff writer, The New Republic, “High Density: Pot and Denver’s Housing Boom”, December 12. 2015 Interview with Megan Verlee, Colorado Public Radio, “Loud and Clear”, November 6.2015 Interview with Leah Askarinam, National Journal, “Walking to School Is a Costly Option for Some Families: School choice has resulted in options for some families and additional barriers for others,” November 18. 2015 Interview with Arielle Milkman, New Republic, “The Housing Crisis Amid Denver’s Cannabis Boom”, October 12. 2015 Interview with John Murray, Denver Post, “Denver, Adams County neighbors near end of airport development talks”, January 5. 2014 Amy Reinholds, The Lyons Recorder, “Presentation of Housing engagement & Visioning to BOT”, August 28. 2014Amy Reinholds, The Lyons Recorder, “What Does “Public Engagement” Mean for Housing Recovery in Lyons?”, August 4. 2014 Amy Reinholds, TheLyons Recorder, “Updates on Lyons Housing Recovery”, July 3. 2014 Interview with Corey Jones, Colorado Public Radio, “New Branding Effort Unveiled for Five Points”, May 16. 2014 Amy Reinholds, The Lyons Recorder, “Displaced Residents And/Or Significantly Damaged Homes Survey”, May 29. 2014Interview with Rachel Sapin, Aurora Sentinel, “Pending law targeting urban renewal taxes could stall future projects, Aurora says”, May 15.