Meaghan McSorley

Biography

All of my research addresses a central question: How can planners and communities work together towards healthy, equitable, and thriving communities for everyone? My research spans theory, practice, and pedagogy to explore how planners can support equitable local decision-making processes by cultivating a reflective practice and intentional, strategic action. I conduct mixed methods experimental research in the classroom to develop educational strategies to enhance planners’ emotional intelligence, among other qualities and capacities. I also work on community-based projects that explore healthy community development topics, such as urban agriculture and climate change impacts at the neighborhood scale. Ultimately, my work supports planners and communities as they collaboratively imagine their thriving futures and identify steps we can take right now to move towards those futures.

Education

PhD, City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023
MPH, Public Health, University of Minnesota, 2019
MURP, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Minnesota, 2019
BA, Anthropology and French, Cornell University, 2013

Selected Publications

McSorley, M., Akhurst, B., Hall, M., Ringania, U., Spyrou, I.M., Zha, Y., Duchesneau, K., Chang, M. (accepted). For graduate students to become leaders in sustainability, we must transcend disciplinary boundaries. Elementa.

Botchwey, N., McSorley, M., and Dowd, M.* (in press). Cities where people flourish: how to promote health, equity, and sustainability, in The Case for Cities. New York: Routledge.

Botchwey, N., McSorley, M., and Umstattd Meyer, R. (2022). Chapter 2: Physical Activity and the Built Environment, in Making Healthy Places (2nd edition). California: Island Press.

McSorley, M. (2021). Public Art, History, and Resistance in Blandtown. Places Journal. https://placesjournal.org/workshop-article/public-art-history-and-resistance-in-blandtown/