Kristen Day
Professor & Department Head, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, NYU Poly

Professor Kristen Day is Professor and Department Head in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. Her research and teaching examines issues of equity and well-being in the planning and design of urban environments. Her work focuses on understanding and enhancing health and safety for diverse populations. She has a special interest in university-community engagement. She was a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Irvine for the past 16 years, where she also served as the campus Director of Engagement.

Day has authored numerous articles and chapters on urban design and well-being in leading journals in urban planning and environment-behavior studies. She is the recipient of the Architecture Magazine/American Institute of Architects Architectural Research Award and the American Institute of Architects/Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Health Facilities Research Award. Day's research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, among others. Day served as a 2008 American Council on Education Fellow. She is also past Chair of the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA).