KATELIN
pENNER
(SHE/THEY)
brooklyn based urban planner in training, writer, researcher, and organizer
ABOUT ME.....
I am a vacant lot researcher, a Master's student in Urban Planning at Hunter College, a writer, an amateur public historian, and an organizer based in Bushwick, Brooklyn. My academic work focuses on the intersections of municipal austerity, gentrification, land use, social/public housing, community resilience, and the influence of late stage capitalism on the urban landscape. My organizing work focuses on housing justice, tenants' rights, and land use.
When I'm not working, I love to walk and bike through the city I love and explore new neighborhoods.
published work
"City Council Should Approve Cea Weaver’s Nomination to the City Planning Commission" (City Limits, 2021)
"Protecting Property, Not People" (Hunter Urban Review, 2023)
"New York's Suburbs Need Social Housing" (City Limits, 2023)
"What Barcelona Can Teach New York City About Truly Affordable Housing" (Next City, 2023)
Substack
Other Academic Writing
"They Paved Paradise and Left Us With Vacant Lots", Senior Thesis, Wesleyan University (2022)
"The First Rent War: Learning from Anarchist Tactics" (2021)
"Brawling for Brooklyn" (2020)
"The Rent is Too Damn High: The Need for More Radical Housing Solutions in New York City" (2019)
Upcoming THINGS I'm doing
On May 5th and 6th, I will be leading two Jane Walks in collaboration with the Municipal Art Society. This event will explore this history through a 60-90 minute in-person walking tour of Williamsburg's waterfront/downtown. We'll explore the history of the neighborhood from the second half of the 20th century to today, and explore the ways in which local community groups, organizers, the city, and even real estate developers have tried to preserve the "character of the community". Together, we'll ponder some big questions: what makes Williamsburg feel authentic? Who gets to decide if it is authentic?
