Lance Freeman is a Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor of City and Regional Planning, and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Neighborhoods are what fascinates him and motivates his research. He studies how neighborhoods change and evolve over time, the role neighborhoods play in people’s lives, and he is exploring how we can use social media and other new technologies as tools to study neighborhoods. His study of neighborhoods is motivated by an aim to learn how we can use this knowledge to plan and build better and more equitable places.
Professor Freeman has published a number of articles in refereed journals on issues related to gentrification, urban poverty, housing policy, urban sprawl, the relationship between the built environment and public health and residential segregation. His books include:
- There Goes the Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up by Temple University Press
- A Haven and a Hell: The Ghetto in Black America by Columbia University Press
- Planning and Control of Land Development by University of North Carolina Press. With Daniel Mandelker, Carol Necole Brown, Stuart Meck, Dwight H. Merriam, Peter W. Salsich, Jr., and Edward J. Sullivan.
Prior to beginning his academic career, Professor Freeman worked as a researcher for Mathematica Policy Research, a leading social science research organization in Washington, D.C. Professor Freeman also has professional planning experience, working as a City Planner for the New York City Housing Authority.