Kirsten Kinzer, Ph.D.

Dr. Kirsten Kinzer, Ph.D., is an accomplished scholar and educator specializing in urban sustainability, public engagement in planning, and interdisciplinary approaches to architecture and city development. As Acting Department Chair of Architecture and Urban Sustainability at UDC, she integrates research, policy, and pedagogy to advance equitable and community-driven urban solutions.

Experience

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania 
Master in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
Bachelor of Architecture, Rice University 

Roles

Acting Department Chair, Department of Architecture and Urban Sustainability, UDC, 2024-Present 

Courses Taught

Architecture Thesis Seminar  
Architecture Thesis Studio I and II 

Expertise

Research Focus / Works in Progress

Implementation of local government sustainability plans; the role of public engagement in urban planning implementation  

Impact

Selected Publications

Kinzer, K., Brennan, J., Prentice, C., & Brudney, J. (2021). Taking care of business and doing overtime: Teaching research methods in public affairs curricula. Public Administration Quarterly, 48(2), 94-108. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-930213/v1. 

Moser, S., Waity, J., & Kinzer, K. (2023). Dealing with disappointment in the community engaged classroom. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.33596/coll.92. 

Imperial, M., & Kinzer, K. (2022). Comprehensive land use planning in coastal North Carolina: Guidance for local governments. North Carolina Division of Coastal Management. https://issuu.com/ncdivisionofcoastalmanagement/docs/land_use_planning_guide_final_with_links 

Kinzer, K. (2021). Integrating professional sustainability literacy into the Master of Public Administration curriculum. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 22(5). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2020-0266. 

Kinzer, K. (2018). How can we help? An exploration of the public’s role in sustainability plan implementation. Sustainable Cities and Society, 39, 719-728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.02.028 

Selected Presentations

Kinzer, K. (2023). Teaching methods in public affairs roundtable. Joint Meeting of the North Carolina Political Science Association and the North Carolina Public Administration Alliance, Wilmington, North Carolina. 

Kinzer, K. (2021). Can we be more specific? An investigation of the integrating hyper-local air quality into local public policy. Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Annual Meeting, Virtual. 

Kinzer, K. (2021). Hyper-local air quality: Equity planning’s new frontier. American Planning Association National Conference, Virtual. 

Kinzer, K. (2020). Appreciative inquiry as a public engagement mechanism: The case of sustainable Cleveland 2019. Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Annual Meeting, Virtual. 

Kinzer, K. (2020). Integrating sustainability literacy into the Master of Public Administration curriculum. Sustainability Literacy Symposium: Faculty, Staff, and Students as Agents of Change, Charleston, South Carolina. 

Selected Grants

UNC Wilmington. (2020). Hyperlocal air quality and the sustainable city. 
UNC Wilmington. (2019). Assessing affordable housing in Navassa, North Carolina. 
NC Department of Environmental Quality. (2018). North Carolina coastal land use planning technical guide. 

Recognitions

Junior Faculty Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, UNC Wilmington Office of Community Engagement and Impact, 2022