Dr. W. Dennis Keating (Cleveland State University) has been selected to receive the 2024 Contribution to the Field of Urban Affairs Award.
This annual award honors an individual whose body of work has contributed to defining the field and furthering the intellectual and professional development of emerging scholars.
AWARD COMMITTEE ASSESSMENT
“We are pleased to recognize Dr. W. Dennis Keating with the 2024 Contribution to the Field of Urban Affairs award. Dr. Keating is Emeritus Professor at Cleveland State University, where he was the Levin Distinguished College Professor in the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs and faculty in the Cleveland Marshall College of Law. As described by his nominators, Dr. Keating’s prolific writing on community development and housing policy has been influential to both scholars and practitioners, particularly those seeking to address the inequities of race and class segregation. His scholarship advancing the idea of the right to housing has national and international reach; and he is an exemplar of a locally-rooted researcher, contributing significantly to community development organizations, equity in urban planning, and advancing fair housing in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Keating also served on the Governing Board of UAA and is known as a generous collaborator and mentor to junior scholars.”
AWARD RECIPIENT BIO
W. Dennis Keating is Emeritus Professor, Levin School of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University. He earned Masters and Doctoral degrees from the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California-Berkeley and a Law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. For 35 years, he was a professor in the Levin School’s Department of Urban Studies (also with a joint appointment with the faculty of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law). He has taught, researched, and written about a variety of topics, including: housing, history, land use, neighborhoods, community development, urban planning and urban policy. His 106 publications include ten books. He has presented his work at numerous academic and professional conferences in the United States and internationally. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Glasgow’s Urban Studies program and a United Nations Habitat consultant. He is a past President of the Housing and Built Environment Research Council of the International Sociological Association. In addition to the Urban Affairs Association Board, his service on community boards includes the Future Heights Community Development Corporation where he lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
AWARD PRESENTATION
The formal presentation of this award will be made at the upcoming International Conference on Urban Affairs in New York at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The theme of this year’s conference is Cities on the Edge: Promoting Equity and Resiliency through Research, Activism, Planning and Policy. The conference will convene over 1200 participants from 55+ countries and representing 20+ fields of study. All award recipients will be formally recognized for their achievements during the Awards and Recognition Program on April 24, 2024; 4:30 – 5:30pm.
SPECIAL CONFERENCE SESSION
There will be a special conference session reflecting on the work of Dr. Keating on Friday, April 26 at 1:45pm. The detailed conference program will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
AWARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Lisa Bates, Portland State University (Chair); Robert Chaskin, University of Chicago; Robert Collins, Dillard University; Jill Gross, Hunter College, CUNY; Louise Simmons, University of Connecticut
ABOUT THE URBAN AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION
The Urban Affairs Association (UAA) is an international professional organization for 700+ urban scholars, researchers, policy analysts, & public service providers. UAA is dedicated to creating interdisciplinary spaces for engaging in intellectual and practical discussions about urban life. Through theoretical, empirical, and action-oriented research, UAA fosters diverse activities to understand and shape a more just and equitable urban world.
In addition to hosting an annual conference, UAA sponsors ongoing professional development opportunities; Upsilon Sigma: The Urban Studies Honor Society; and two peer-reviewed journals, the Journal of Urban Affairs and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity and the City. You can find UAA on the web, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
