Office Hours
By Appointment
Education
PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago
MS, University of Illinois at Chicago
About Me
Megan E. Heim LaFrombois, PhD, AICP, is an associate professor in Auburn University’s Community Planning Program and a faculty affiliate of the Women’s and Gender Studies program and the Sustainability Studies Minor program. She received her PhD and master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her bachelor’s degree in urban and regional studies from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay.
Heim LaFrombois’ research within the planning discipline broadly focuses on community development, urban inequalities, participatory forms of community planning, public policy, and feminist and qualitative approaches to urban studies and research. With over eight years of experience working in the community development and community planning arenas, focusing on issues related to ending homelessness in Chicago, an important aspect of her work, both as a practitioner and an academic, is community engagement in addressing urban inequalities. Her research strives to inform planning practice and policy, and to improve cities.
Dr. Heim LaFrombois is the recipient of the 2020 Community and Civic Engagement Teaching Award from Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts and the 2016 Alma H. Young Emerging Scholar Award from the Urban Affairs Association. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and serves as secretary of the Faculty Women’s Interest Group (FWIG) of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).
Research Interests
community development, urban inequalities, participatory forms of community planning, public policy, feminist approaches to urban studies and research
Publications
Books
Heim LaFrombois, Megan E. (2018). Reframing the Reclaiming of Urban Space: A Feminist Exploration into Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Urbanism in Chicago. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, Rowman and Littlefield.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Heim LaFrombois, Megan E.; and Yunmi Park. (2021). “The Uneven Shrinking City: Neighborhood Demographic Change and Creative Class Planning in Birmingham, Alabama.” Urban Geography, December 2021, pp. 1-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2021.2004788.
Park, Yunmi; Minju Kim; Jiyeon Shin; and Megan E. Heim LaFrombois. (2021). “Changing Trends in Long-Term Sentiments and Neighborhood Determinants in a Shrinking City.” Journal of Planning Education and Research, September 2021, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X211044215
Park, Yunmi; and Megan E. Heim LaFrombois. (2019) “Planning for Growth in Depopulating Cities: An Analysis of Population Projections and Population Change in Depopulating and Populating US Cities.” Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning, Vol 90, July 2019, pp. 237-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.02.016.
Heim LaFrombois, Megan E.; Yunmi Park; and Daniel Yurcaba. (2019). “How US Shrinking Cities Plan for Change: Comparing Population Projections and Planning Strategies in Depopulating US Cities.” Journal of Planning Education and Research, June 2019, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X19854121.
Heim LaFrombois, Megan E. (2019). “(Re)Producing and Challenging Gender in and through Urban Space: Women Bicyclists’ Experiences in Chicago.” Gender, Place, and Culture, Vol 26, Issue 5, April 2019, pp. 659-679. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2018.1555142.
Heim LaFrombois, Megan. (2017). “Blind Spots and Pop-up Spots: A Feminist Exploration into the Discourses of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Urbanism.” Urban Studies, Vol 54, Issue 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 421–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015604078.
Courses Taught
- CPLN 5010/6010: Introduction to Community Planning
- CPLN 5080/6080: Affordable Housing Planning and Policy
- CPLN 5090/6090: Community Development
- CPLN 5450/6450: Planning History and Theory
- CPLN 7300: Community-Based Qualitative Methods
- CPLN 7600: Synthesis Studio I
- POLI 3250: Introduction to Public Administration
- POLI 8120: Qualitative Methods