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Deland Chan

Driving social impact through community-engaged research

Deland Chan is a highly skilled social scientist and urban planner who specializes in sustainable development, land use, and infrastructure. Currently serving as the Director of Research at the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco, Deland leads community-led research projects aimed at improving urban life. With a background that includes positions such as Director of Community Engaged Learning at Stanford University and Senior Planner in San Francisco, Deland has a wealth of experience in driving impactful urban initiatives. Deland is also pursuing a DPhil in Sustainable Urban Development at the University of Oxford, focusing on sustainable urban infrastructure in marginalized communities.

Highlights

Feb 14 · linkedin

I am excited to share that our paper “Understanding How Racism and Affect Impact Public Opinions toward Affordable Housing in the United States” is out in the Journal of Urban Planning and Education.

Special thanks to Isabella Douglas for leading this effort with collaborators, Sarah Billington and Lucy Bencharit, and to the Billington Lab at Stanford University for supporting and bringing together this interdisciplinary team.

In this study, we used a nationwide survey (N = 534) to explore how individual-level characteristics and past actions influence support for affordable housing at the neighborhood level. While some of our findings may resonate with affordable housing and urban planning professionals, we hope this research marks one of the first systematic attempts in over a decade to examine potential barriers (and opportunities to address them) across a broad population and at the national, rather than local scale, of affordable housing and land use planning.

We invite you to read our paper and share your thoughts and feedback.

Sep 18 · linkedin

Low-income communities of color in American cities often grapple with infrastructure challenges, including the lack of adequate infrastructure, misallocated priorities, and disproportionate burdens. In this digital publication, I focus on San Francisco's Chinatown and the Central Subway, where advocating for strategic infrastructure reinforced the community's presence and highlighted its resilience to stay on the map.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library for supporting this research through the Small Grants Fund for Early Career Digital Publications.

Deland Chan
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Location

San Francisco, California, United States