Monica Haddad

About Monica Haddad

Hello and welcome to my page! Climate justice and social justice are the driving forces of my scholarship. I also specialize in GIS applications for planning issues. Most of the courses I teach have hands-on experiences and my students received two Iowa APA awards recently. Reach out and let's chat!

Areas of Expertise

International Development Planning, Technology, Society and Analytical Methods, Community Development

Selected Publications

Jung, M. W., Haddad, M. A., & Gelder, B. K. (2023). Examining heat inequity in a Brazilian metropolitan region. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 51(1), 109-127. , Haddad, M., Christman, Z., Pearsall, H., & Sanchez, M. (2021). Using Google street view to examine urban context and green amenities in the global south: The Chilean experience. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 3, 684231., Haddad, M. A., Moura, A. C. M., Cook, V. M., & Lima e Lima, T. (2021). The Social Dimensions of the Iron Quadrangle Region: An Educational Experience in Geodesign. The Professional Geographer, 73(3), 504–520., Haddad, M. A. (2020). Residential income segregation and commuting in a Latin American city. Applied Geography, 117, 102186.

Recent Courses Taught

Community Studio (Spring 2024): undergraduate required course in which 15 students developed the Sustainable Urbandale Action Plan covering issues related to renewable energy, net-zero energy buildings, and infill development. Students conducted four community engagement events, three focus groups with immigrants and developed a digital game to educate younger residents. , Social Justice and Planning (2021): students developed the ‘Gap Analysis for Equity - for Iowa City Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.’ They recommended new strategies to advance climate justice, based on case studies and their own innovative ideas. Students received the 2022 APA Iowa Chapter Award Exemplary Student Project.
Community Planning Studio (2019): graduate students developed the City of Adel Downtown Plan 2020-2040. Public engagement activities such as community mapping, surveys and presentation of three scenarios were part of the planning process. The City adopted the plan in 2020. Students received the 2020 APA-Iowa Chapter Award Exemplary Student Project. , Geographic Data Management and Planning Analysis (Spring 2019): In this advanced GIS course, students learned Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) techniques and how to develop ModelBuilder, using raster and vector data for site suitability analysis. Students developed the project ESDA for the City of Des Moines Neighborhood Development Division.