Sherry Ahrentzen, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Research, Policy and Strategic Initiatives
For the last twenty years, Dr. Ahrentzen's research has focused on new forms of housing to better accommodate the social and economic diversity of U.S. households and families. Her work has been published extensively in journals and magazines, such as Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, Harvard Design Magazine, Builder, Journal of Social Issues, and Progressive Architecture, and she has presented her work at the annual conferences of the American Institute of Architects, the Environmental Design Research Association, Association of Collegiate Colleges of Architecture, as well as at a number of universities and professional organizations. With Karen A. Franck, she edited the book New Households, New Housing. She has over 60 published articles, chapters, and reports, and has received more than 20 research and instructional grants from various agencies. Her research has been funded by the American Institute of Architects, National Center for Real Estate Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Fannie Mae Foundation, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, and Graham Foundation for the Study of the Arts. Professor Ahrentzen has consulted overseas, in China and Indonesia, and has also served as member of the Board of Directors of the Environmental Design Research Association, member of the advisory council for the Initiative for Architectural Research, and associate editor for book reviews for the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. In 2009, Dr. Ahrentzen received the Career Award from the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) for lifetime achievement in environment and behavior research and education.
As Associate Director for Research of the Stardust Center, Dr. Ahrentzen's efforts are directed towards producing and fostering research that acts as a catalyst for debate, action, advocacy, and innovation. The Center's research products give constituents reliable information and new insights to inform development actions and policy decisions. Full CV available here.
Education
- University of California, Irvine: M.A. & Ph.D. in Social Ecology, 1982, 1980
- University of California, San Diego: B.A. in Psychology, 1977
Academic and Professional Honors
- ACSA Distinguished Professor, 2003
- Graduate School/UWM Foundation Research Award, 1993
Academic Experience
- Research Professor, Arizona State University, College of Design (2005-present)
- Associate Director for Research, Stardust Center for Affordable Homes & the Family, ASU (2005-present)
- Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Architecture (1983 - 2008)
Selected Publications
- "Sustaining Smart Growth and Active Living: A Greenbelt town and its Village Center, 70 Years Later," Planning, February 2007, 73/2.
- "Double Indemnity or Double Delight? The Health Consequences of Shared Housing and Doubling Up," Journal of Social Issues, 2003, 59/3.
- "Choice in Housing," Harvard Design Magazine, Summer 1999.
- "Making Visible What We Do: An Epistemological Reflection of Housing Research." In C. Després & D. Piché, eds. Housing Surveys: Advances in Theory and Methods. Québec, Canada: CRAD, Université Laval. 1997.
- "Housing Alternatives for New Forms of Households ." In C. Hoch, G. Hemmon, & J. Carp, eds. Under One Roof: Issues and Innovations in Shared Housing. Albany: SUNY Press. 1996.
- New Households, New Housing (co-edited with Karen A. Franck), New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989.
Selected Grants
- Research Synthesis on Workforce Housing Issues. National Center for Real Estate Research, National Association of Realtors. 2007.
- From the Greenbelt Towns Program, Lessons for Building & Sustaining Today's Active Living Communities. Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, Active Living Research. 2005-2007.
- Building Capacity in Milwaukee's Nonprofit Housing Industry: A University-Community Partnership. Fannie Mae Foundation. (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Fannie Mae University-Community Partnership) 1998- 2000.
- Housing Home-Businesses in Milwaukee's Inner-City Neighborhoods. Urban Research Initiatives Program, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 1998-1999.
- Fostering a Partnership for Neighborhood Revitalization. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (One of several principal investigators on this grant. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Community Partnership Initiative.) 1995- 1997.