Davarian L. Baldwin | “When Your City Becomes a Campus: Higher Ed Planning and the Rise of UniverCities”

Right before our eyes, colleges and universities have become the biggest landholders, employers, healthcare providers, and even policing agents in cities and towns across the country. What are the consequences when the city becomes a campus? In his recent book, "In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower," Davarian L. Baldwin explores higher education's growing control over urban America and the costs for those living in the shadows. This talk on Monday, February 28th at 6pm will highlight the UPenn story to interrogate the larger national urban planning model of what Baldwin calls the “UniverCity.”  

Davarian L. Baldwin is a leading urbanist, historian, and cultural critic. He currently serves as the Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies and founding director of the Smart Cities Lab at Trinity College (CT). Baldwin is the author of several books, most recently In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities are Plundering Our Cities (Bold Type Books). In addition to teaching and writing, Baldwin sits on a number of editorial boards, including the Journal of Urban History. He is also co-editor of the Urban Life, Landscape, and Policy book series for Temple University Press, serves as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, and sits on coordinating committee of Scholars for Social Justice. Baldwin's opinions and commentaries have been featured in numerous outlets from NBC News, PBS, and The History Channel to USAToday, the Washington Post and TIME.  

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu to let us know what you need. Please note, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. If you register within 48 hours of this event, we won’t be able to secure the appropriate accommodations.