Faculty Profile

Lauren Fischer

Title
Assistant Professor
Department
Public Administration
College
College of Health and Public Service

    

    

      


                          

            
Curriculum Vitae

            

              Click Here to View Faculty CV
            

          

        
                          

            
Education

            



  

  


  
PhD, Columbia University, 2019. 
Major: Urban Planning
Degree Specialization: Transportation and Economic Development
Dissertation Title: The Transport Planning Process: A Political and Institutional Analysis
MPhil, Columbia University, 2014. 
Major: Urban Planning
MPA, DePaul University, 2008. 
Major: Public Administration
Degree Specialization: Urban and Community Development
Dissertation Title: A Kaleidoscope of Culture: Measuring Diversity in Chicago's Neighborhoods
BA, Indiana University, 2004. 
Major: Political Science and Sociology





          

        
                

          
Current Scheduled Teaching*


          
PADM 6950.007, Doctoral Dissertation, Spring 2024 
HNRS 3996.003, Honors College Mentored Research Experience, Spring 2024 
PADM 3220.001, Land Use and Transportation Planning, Spring 2024 Syllabus


          
*
  Texas Education Code 51.974 (HB 2504) requires each institution of
  higher education to make available to the public, a syllabus for
  undergraduate lecture courses offered for credit by the institution.
  

        

      

    

  


    

    

      


        


          


            
Previous Scheduled Teaching*


            
                    

                    PADM 6940.007, Directed Research in Public Administration, Fall 2023 Syllabus
                    

                    HNRS 3996.002, Honors College Mentored Research Experience, Fall 2023 
                    

                    PADM 5300.001, Introduction to Planning, Fall 2023 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3210.001, Population Demographics and Urban Planning, Fall 2023 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 6710.004, Seminar in Public Administration and Management, Fall 2023  SPOT
                    

                    PADM 4180.001, Urban Planning Studio, Spring 2023 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3210.001, Population Demographics and Urban Planning, Fall 2022 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 5700.006, Seminar in Public Administration, Fall 2022 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 6710.010, Seminar in Public Administration and Management, Fall 2022 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3220.001, Land Use and Transportation Planning, Spring 2022 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 4170.001, Methods in Urban Planning Research and Analysis, Spring 2022 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 5300.001, Introduction to Planning, Fall 2021 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3210.001, Population Demographics and Urban Planning, Fall 2021 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 6710.004, Seminar in Public Administration and Management, Fall 2021 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 4170.001, Methods in Urban Planning Research and Analysis, Spring 2021 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 4170.002, Methods in Urban Planning Research and Analysis, Spring 2021 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 4180.001, Urban Planning Studio, Spring 2021 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3210.001, Population Demographics and Urban Planning, Fall 2020 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3210.002, Population Demographics and Urban Planning, Fall 2020 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 2120.001, Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning, Spring 2020 Syllabus
                    

                    PADM 4170.001, Methods in Urban Planning Research and Analysis, Spring 2020 Syllabus
                    

                    PADM 5300.001, Introduction to Planning, Fall 2019 Syllabus SPOT
                    

                    PADM 3210.001, Population Demographics and Urban Planning, Fall 2019 Syllabus SPOT

          


          
*
  Texas Education Code 51.974 (HB 2504) requires each institution of
  higher education to make available to the public, a syllabus for
  undergraduate lecture courses offered for credit by the institution.
  

        

      

    

  

  
  	

	

	  

		

		   
Published Publications



  

  
Published Intellectual Contributions


  
Book
Sclar, E., Baird-Zars, B., Fischer, L. A., Stahl, V. E. (2019). Zoning: A Guide for 21st-Century Planning, 1st Edition (Paperback) - Routledge. (1), .  New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Zoning-A-Guide-for-21st-Century-Planning-1st-Edition/Sclar-Baird-Zars-Ames-Fischer-Stahl/p/book/9781138593886
Fischer, L., Sclar, E., Stahl, V., Baird-Zars, B.  (2019). Zoning: A Guide for 21st Century Planning. 1, 276.  New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Zoning-A-Guide-for-21st-Century-Planning/Sclar-Baird-Zars-Fischer-Stahl/p/book/9781138593886
Book Chapter
Fischer, L.  (2019). Zoning, Transport and Urban Growth: An Institutional Perspective. Zoning: A Guide for 21st Century Planning. 1, .  New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Zoning-A-Guide-for-21st-Century-Planning/Sclar-Baird-Zars-Fischer-Stahl/p/book/9781138593886
Fischer, L. A., Sclar, E., Lönnroth, M., Wolmar, C., Sclar, E.  (2016). Value Capture: Why We May be Dissappointed. Improving Urban Access: New Approaches to Funding Transport Investment.  London ; New York, NY: Routledge. 
Conference Proceeding
Hutson, N. M., Fischer, L. A., Draper, M., Ellsworth, M.  (2023). Climate, Health and Equity in Regional Transportation Planning: Current Practice and Emerging Tools for U.S. Metropolitan Planning Organizations. 
Journal Article
Schwieterman, J., Fischer, L. A., Woodward, A.  (2023). Evaluation of Rail Freight Lone Reactivations in Small and Mid-Size Communities Using Data from Federal Railroad Administration's Grace Crossing Inventory. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 17. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03611981231186982
Fischer, L. A., Fry, M.  Valuing Property over the Environment: Municipal Landscaping Ordinances in Texas. 
Fischer, L.  (2022). “Tax Discrimination District”: The Intersection of Race and Transit Value Capture. Journal of the American Planning Association. 88(1), 14. Taylor & Francis. https://www.planning.org/japa/
Krueger, S., Fischer, L. A., Benavides, A. D. (2021). Health Disasters and Local Government Finance: City of Dallas Budget Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Municipal Finance Journal. 42(2), . 
Zavar, E., Fischer, L.  (2021). Fractured landscapes: The racialization of home buyout programs and climate adaptation. Other. 3, . 
Fischer, L., Ray, R. S., King, D. A. (2020). Who Decides? Toward A Typology of Transit Governance. Urban Science. 5(1), 16.  Basel: MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/urbansci
Fischer, L. A. (2019). Value Capture In Situ: Participation, Evaluation, and Signaling in Kansas City, MO. Journal of Planning Education and Research.  New Brunswick, New Jersey: Sage. 
Fischer, L., Stahl, V., Baird-Zars, B.  (2018). Unequal Exceptions: Zoning Relief in New York City, 1998-2017. Journal of Planning Education and Research. Sage. 
Fischer, L., King, D.  (2018). Long Term Land Use Effects of New Rail Investment: Lessons from San Diego. Urban Science. 2(1), .  Basel: MDPI. 
Fischer, L., Schwieterman, J.  (2017). The S-Curve of Technological Adoption: Mobile Communication Devices on Commuter Trains in the Chicago Region, 2010–2015. 20(2), 1 - 18. 
Fischer, L., King, D.  (2016). Streetcar Projects as Spatial Planning: A Shift in Transport Planning in the United States. 54, 383-390. 
Schwieterman, J., Fischer, L. A. (2012). Competition from the curb: survey of passengers on discount curbside bus operators in eastern and midwestern US cities. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. (2277), 49--56. 
Schwieterman, J., Fischer, L. A. (2012). Competition from the curb: survey of passengers on discount curbside bus operators in eastern and midwestern US cities. Other. 2277(1), 49--56. 
Schwieterman, J. P., Fischer, L. A. (2011). Privacy Invades Public Space: The Growing Use of Portable Electronic Technology on Intercity Buses, Trains and Planes. Other. 14. 
Fischer, L. A., Schwieterman, J. P. (2011). The Decline and Recovery of Intercity Bus Service in the United States: A Comeback for an Environmentally Friendly Transportation Mode?. Environmental Practice. 13(01), 7--15. http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1466046610000694
Fischer, L. A., Schwieterman, J. P. (2011). The Decline and Recovery of Intercity Bus Service in the United States: A Comeback for an Environmentally Friendly Transportation Mode?. Environmental Practice. 13(1), 7--15. 
Schwieterman, J. P., Fischer, L. A., Ghoshal, C., Largent, P., Netzel, N., Schulz, M.  (2011). The intercity bus rolls to record expansion: 2011 update on scheduled motor coach service in the United States. Other. 
Fischer, L. A., Schwieterman, J.  (2011). Variations in the Rates of Passenger Usage of Portable Technology on Intercity Buses, Trains and Planes: Implications for Transportation Planning. Other. 78(1), 65. 
Schwieterman, J. P., Fischer, L. A., Smith, S., Towles, C.  (2007). The return of the intercity bus: the decline and recovery of scheduled service to American cities, 1960-2007. http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=865815
Ph.D. Thesis
Fischer, L. A. (2019). The Transport Planning Process: A Political and Institutional Analysis. Columbia University. 
Technical Report
Fischer, L. A., Liang, L.  (2023). Healthy Infrastructure Plan (City of Lewisville). 
White Paper
Fischer, L. A., Fry, M.  (2022). Typologies of Integration An Analysis of Municipal Landscaping and Water Management Practices in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. 32.  Boston, MA: Lincoln Institute for Land Policy. https://www.lincolninst.edu/es/publications/working-papers/typologies-integration



	
		
		
	  

	

	

  
    
	

	

	  

		

		   
Awarded Grants



  
  
  	  
          
Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research  

 	 
	 	 
  
Contract   
Fischer, L., Liang, L., "Lewisville Healthy Infrastructure: Neighborhood Monitoring and Evaluation," Sponsored by City of Lewisville, Texas, Local, $59875 Funded. (November 15, 2021 – January 15, 2023).
Grant - Research   
Prybutok, G. L. (Co-Principal), Prybutok, G. L. (Co-Principal), Fischer, L. (Co-Principal), "Exploratory Study on Human-Robotic Adoption and Interaction for Frisco Personal Delivery Device Deployment and building uses cases of mobile data for future multimodal transportation in Frisco," Sponsored by McNatt Institute for Logistics Research., Local, $10000 Funded. (September 2020 – Present).
Fischer, L., Andrew, S. (Co-Principal), "Tools for Participatory Science: Pilot Project in Denton, Texas," Sponsored by Office of Research and Innovation, University of North Texas, $9000 Funded. (August 2020 – Present).
Fischer, L. A. (Principal), Yang, X. (Co-Principal), Zhou, Y. (Co-Principal), "Documenting, Evaluating and Understanding Land Regulation (Research Seed Grant)," University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (2023 – 2024).
Allen, C. D., Lund, A. K. (Co-Principal), Fischer, L. A. (Supporting), "Seeds to Engaging in Mentorship and Practice with Emerging Researchers (S2 EMPWER)," Sponsored by Division of Research and Innovation, University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (July 6, 2023 – July 29, 2024).
Allen, C. D., Lund, A. K. (Co-Principal), Kudaisi, Q. (Co-Principal), Fischer, L. A. (Supporting), "Seeds to Engaging in Mentorship and Practice with Emerging Researchers (S2 EMPWER)," Sponsored by AERI, University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (June 2023 – June 2024).
Zhou, Y. (Principal), Carroll, M. C. (Co-Principal), Fischer, L. A. (Co-Principal), "Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Zoning Atlas," Sponsored by Mercatus Center at George Mason University, National, $57466 Funded. (August 1, 2022 – December 31, 2023).
Fischer, L. A. (Co-Principal), Ponette-Gonzalez, A. (Co-Principal), Jepson, W. (Principal), Jaber, F. (Co-Principal), Bowling, B. (Co-Principal), "SCC-CIVIC Track A: Community-Science Partnership to Enhance Stormwater Adaptation under Climate Change," Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $50000 Funded. (October 1, 2022 – March 1, 2023).
Hutson, N. (Principal), Fischer, L. (Co-Principal), "MPO Environmental Screening: Tools for a Healthier, Sustainable Transportation Future," Sponsored by Environmental Defense Fund, National, $20000 Funded. (September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022).
Fry, M., Fischer, L. A., "Typologies of Integration: An Analysis of Municipal Land Use and Water Management Practices in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex," Sponsored by BABBITT CENTER FOR LAND AND WATER POLICY, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, National, $9025 Funded. (June 2021 – May 2022).
Champlin, S., Fischer, L., Liang, L., "Empowering and Mobilizing Communities: Examining the Intersection of Public Perceptions, the Built Environment, and Air Quality Levels to Foster Environmental Health Literacy," Sponsored by Office of Research and Innovation, University of North Texas, $5500 Funded. (December 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021).
Fry, M., Fischer, L., "Exploring Environmental Governance in Urban Ecosystems: Municipal Landscaping Regulations in DFW," Sponsored by ADVANCED eNVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (AERI) summer seed funding, University of North Texas, University of North Texas, $7500 Funded. (January 2021 – August 2020).
Grant - Service   
Andrew, S. A. (Principal), Fischer, L. (Principal), Kelly, A. (Principal), Jang, H. S., Lund, A. (Principal), Champlin, S. (Co-Principal), Liang, L. (Principal), "PARSci Faculty Network Mentoring," Sponsored by UNT Office of Faculty Success, University of North Texas, $4300 Funded. (January 1, 2021 – January 1, 2022).



	
		
		
	  

	

	

	
	

  
  
  

  	

		

		,  
			
				

					
					Overall
Summative Rating		
					Challenge and
Engagement Index		
					Response Rate
					
				

			
			
				

					
					
out of 5		
					
out of 7		
					%
 of 
students responded		
					
					
				

			
		


		
    
			
  • Overall Summative Rating (median):
    
			This rating represents the combined responses of students to the four global summative items and is presented to provide an overall index of the class’s quality. Overall summative statements include the following (response options include a Likert scale ranging from 5 = Excellent, 3 = Good, and 1= Very poor):
				
      
					
    • The course as a whole was
      • 
					
    • The course content was
      • 
					
    • The instructor’s contribution to the course was
      • 
					
    • The instructor’s effectiveness in teaching the subject matter was
      • 
				
    
			
    • 
			
  • Challenge and Engagement Index:
    
			This rating combines student responses to several SPOT items relating to how academically challenging students found the course to be and how engaged they were. Challenge and Engagement Index items include the following (response options include a Likert scale ranging from 7 = Much higher, 4 = Average, and 1 = Much lower):
				
      
					
    • Do you expect your grade in this course to be
      • 
					
    • The intellectual challenge presented was
      • 
					
    • The amount of effort you put into this course was
      • 
					
    • The amount of effort to succeed in this course was
      • 
					
    • Your involvement in course (doing assignments, attending classes, etc.) was
      • 
				
    
			
    • 
		

		CLOSE