Carolyn Loh
Research interest(s)/area of expertise
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Carolyn G. Loh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Wayne State University. Her research focuses broadly on municipal planning and land-use regulatory processes and the actors and politics involved in those processes. She has conducted research on the role and impact of planning consultants on municipal comprehensive planning processes, planning capacity, planning ethics, plan implementation, planning for equity, arts and cultural planning, and local land use regulation around fracking and open space subdivisions. A former planning consultant, she frequently collaborates with planning practitioners and has written about the importance of practice-focused research.
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Dr. Loh is currently partnering with the Michigan Association of Planning to study how local governments are including equity issues in their comprehensive plans. To learn more or to evaluate your city's plan using our free plan equity evaluation tool, visit https://www.planningmi.org/equity.
Education
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, B.A. in English Language and Literature, 2001
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Master of Urban Planning, 2002
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ph.D. in Urban Planning, 2008
Selected publications
Loh, Carolyn G., Amanda Ashley, Rose Kim, Leslie Durham, and Karen Bubb. “Placemaking in Practice: Municipal Arts and Cultural Plans’ Approaches to Placemaking and Creative Placemaking.” (2022). Journal of Planning Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X221100503.
Hsu, David, Clint Andrews, Albert Han, Carolyn G. Loh, Anna Osland, and Christopher Zegras. “Planning towards deep decarbonization across the U.S.” (2022). Journal of Planning Literature. https://doi.org/10.1177/08854122221097977
Elliott, Rebekah L., Carolyn G. Loh, Carolyn E. Psenka, Jennifer M. Lewis, Kyoung-Yun Kim, Karl R. Haapala, and Gül E. Okudan Kremer. (2022). “Advancing Transformative STEM Learning by Converging Perspectives from Education, Social Science, Mathematics, and Engineering” Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science. DOI 10.3233/JID-220006.
Ashley, Amanda, Carolyn G. Loh, Leslie Durham, Rose Kim, and Karen Bubb. “Identifying Plan Perceptions: Higher Education Institutions as Arts and Cultural Anchors.” (2022). Urban Affairs Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221108103.
Loh, Carolyn G., Amanda J. Ashley, Karen Bubb, and Leslie Durham. (2021). “Our Diversity is our Strength: Explaining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Emphasis in Municipal Arts and Cultural Plans.” Journal of the American Planning Association. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2021.1936127.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Rose Kim. (2021). “Planners as Researchers: Can a Community Science Approach Benefit Planning Research and Practice?” Journal of Planning Education and Research. DOI: 10.1177/0739456X211017645.
Ashley, Amanda J., Carolyn G. Loh, Karen Bubb, and Leslie Durham. (2021) “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices in Arts and Cultural Planning.” Journal of Urban Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2020.1834405.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Rose Kim. (2020). “Are We Planning for Equity? Equity Goals and Recommendations in Local Comprehensive Plans.” Journal of the American Planning Association. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2020.1829498.
Loh, Carolyn. (2019). “Placemaking and Implementation: Revisiting the Performance Principle.” Land Use Policy 81, 68-75.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Rodney L. Arroyo. (2017). "Special Ethical Considerations for Planners in Private Practice." Journal of the American Planning Association 83(2), 168-179. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2017.1286945.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Anna C. Osland (2016). "Local Land Use Planning Responses to Hydraulic Fracturing." Journal of the American Planning Association 82(3), 222-235. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2016.1176535.
Loh, Carolyn G. (2015) “Conceptualizing and Operationalizing Planning Capacity.” State and Local Government Review 42(2), 134-145.
Loh, Carolyn G. (2015). “The Everyday Emergency: Planning and Democracy Under Austerity Regimes.” Urban Affairs Review. Published online March 30, 2015. DOI: 10.1177/1078087415577639.
Loh, Carolyn G. (2015) “Adventures in Implementation: Mandating Open Space Preservation in a Weak Mandate State.” Journal of Urban Affairs. Published online December 28, 2014. DOI: 10.1111/juaf.12182.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Richard K. Norton. (2015). “The Impact of Planning Consultants on Local Comprehensive Plans.” Journal of Planning Education and Research. 35(2), 199-208.
Gerber, Elisabeth R. and Carolyn G. Loh (2015). “Spatial Effects of Vertical and Horizontal Intergovernmental Collaboration.” Journal of Urban Affairs. Published online August 6, 2014. DOI: 10.1111/juaf.12139.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Richard K. Norton. (2013). “Planning Consultants and Local Planning: Roles and Values.” Journal of the American Planning Association. 79(2), 138-147.
Loh, Carolyn G. and Neha Sami. (2013). “Death of a Planning Department.” Land Use Policy 32, 39-49.
Loh, Carolyn G. (2012). “Four Potential Disconnects in the Local Planning Process.” Journal of Planning Education and Research 32(1), 33-47.
Loh, Carolyn G. (2011). “Assessing and Interpreting Nonconformance in Land Use Planning Implementation.” Planning Practice and Research 26(3), 271-287.
Gerber, Elisabeth R. and Carolyn G. Loh (2011). “Prospects for Expanding Regionalism.” Urban Studies 48(11), 2303-2319.