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Mai Nguyen

Director, The Design Lab; Professor, Urban Studies and Planning at University of California San Diego

Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen is a Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego. She is an award-winning public scholar, researcher, and teacher. Her research focuses on social and spatial equity and examines planning and policy topics related to land use, housing, community and economic development, and climate change adaptation. She is passionate about designing cities that are just and equitable. She has served on major national leadership roles, including Board Chair for the Urban Affairs Association, President of the Faculty Women’s Interest Group for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and founder and administrator of Planners 2040, a Facebook discussion group with a membership of over 2,400 planners across the globe.

The latest from Mai

  • Report #673 |

    Results Overview of Filene's Center of Excellence for Community Social Impact

    This report highlights the impact from our Center of Excellence for Community Social Impact. Led by Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen, the work from this center focused on helping credit unions move beyond isolated philanthropy to become strategic drivers of community change community change including addressing complex challenges on housing, disaster resilience, and financial inclusion.
  • Report #655 |

    The Role of Credit Unions in Affordable Housing Innovations

    • Mai Nguyen
    • Eileen Miamidian
    • Joshua Newton
    • Grant Ruroede
    • William Fulton
    • Kate Zegans
    This five-part Housing Innovation Series provides an essential roadmap for addressing the critical lack of affordable housing and homeownership in communities. These reports detail a range of actionable financial strategies, focusing on innovative approaches to funding housing supply—such as specialized development financing, regional investment funds, and creative land acquisition—and explore new mortgage models and shared equity arrangements to expand long-term access and affordability.
  • Report #627 |

    How Credit Unions can Respond to Disasters and Build Community Resilience

    As a trusted part of the community, credit unions can make a big difference in helping to build resiliency for their members. The case studies highlighted here give examples of how credit unions are currently responding to the unique needs of their communities through education, new low-cost products and services, and fundraising, among other things.
  • Report #583 | Members

    America's Housing Journey

    If you are interested in learning more about this topic, please read more on the storymap page on how credit unions can better serve their communities through improving access to housing.