University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth Director Kathryn Howell has earned a 2026 Best Article in the Journal of Urban Affairs Award for her paper, “A data feminist approach to urban data practice: Tenant power through eviction data,” one of two papers recognized nationally for its outstanding contribution to the field of urban affairs. Howell will be recognized alongside co-author and former Virginia Commonwealth University colleague Benjamin Teresa at the International Conference on Urban Affairs in Chicago on April 29.
In a statement for the Urban Affairs Association, the awards committee said, “This is a critically important and highly significant meta-analysis that asks—and answers—foundational questions that precede and underpin conventional approaches to data collection and analysis: Where does data come from, whose data matters, for what purposes, and with what results? The authors effectively illustrate their argument in two detailed cases showing how these questions play out.”
Howell is the Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and an Associate Professor with UMD’s Urban Studies & Planning Program. Prior to coming to NCSG, she was the co-founder and co-director of the RVA Eviction Lab and an associate professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Howell’s research examines displacement, displaceability and policies to address both the historical roots and current challenges of displacement. Specifically, she interrogates the policies, governance structures and roles of tenants and advocacy in the preservation of affordable housing.
The Urban Affairs Association is an international professional organization for 1000+ 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.