Award Recipient
Susan E. Clarke (University of Colorado)
The Urban Affairs Association (UAA), the international professional association for urban scholars, researchers and public service professionals, convened its 47th Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 19-22, 2017. More than 750 participants, representing universities, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and public and private organizations/institutions from around the world met to discuss 21st century issues impacting urban populations and places. Conference participants represented institutions from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The University of Minnesota served as the local sponsor for the event.
During the conference, awards were presented in recognition of outstandingscholarship and service. Among those honored was Susan Clarke (University of Colorado). Clarke was awarded the third ever Contribution to the Field of Urban Affairs Award, which is given to individuals whose body of work have contributed to defining the field.
Award Committee Assessment
Susan Clarke’s long record of scholarship has shaped the fields of urban politics and policy, especially in the areas of economic development and globalization, and urban governance and citizenship. Her work spans policy areas, ranging from education to transportation to homeland security to economic development to sustainability. Her books and articles demonstrate a compassion and respect for local practitioners and their efforts to puzzle through and respond to forces affecting cities that are beyond their control.
Throughout her career Susan has been an attentive and tireless mentor, pursing her mission to train the next generation of scholars with as much commitment as she devoted to her own research agenda. Susan’s dedication to the field is further demonstrated by a career of service at her university, as co-editor of a major journal in urban affairs, Urban Affairs Review, and to the Urban Affairs Association. Susan has been a central actor in urban affairs for decades whose scholarship, mentoring and service will continue to influence the field for years to come.
Award Committee
Chair Marla Nelson (University of New Orleans), William Holt (Birmingham-Southern College); Deirdre Oakley (Georgia State University)
Award Winner Bio
Susan E. Clarke is Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Before coming to Boulder in 1984, she was on the faculty at Northwestern University and also served as a Visiting Scholar with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She is the Founding Director of CU’s Center to Advance Research and Teaching in the Social Sciences, a campus-wide interdisciplinary center. Clarke is also Founding Director of CU’s Sustainability and Social Innovation (SSI) Residential Academic Program, recently chosen for a national Cordes Innovation award. Clarke’s publications include The Work of Cities (with Gary Gaile: Minnesota, 1998) on local economic development strategies, a coauthored book on Multiethnic Moments: The Politics of Urban Education Reform (Temple University Press, 2006), co-editor of The Oxford Handbook on Urban Politics (2012) and numerous journal articles. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the Canadian government, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National League of Cities, and others. She is Editor of the Globalization and Community Series at the University of Minnesota Press, recent (2001- 2014) Editor (with Michael Pagano) of Urban Affairs Review, and a former UAA Board member and decades-long participant.
