Bringing a Fresh Perspective to CAPLA: Yining Lei, Assistant Professor of Real Estate Development and Urban Planning

“My research focuses on affordable housing policy, neighborhood change, residential (in)stability and advanced research methods. I’m especially interested in why neighborhoods change or stay the same, and why people move or stay.”

Meet Yining Lei! Lei is a new faculty member in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, who brings with her a fascinating research background with clear real-world implications. 

1. What drew you to real estate development and urban planning?

I was born and raised in Shanghai, and from a young age, I was always fascinated by how much real estate development was happening around me and how quickly the city was changing. That naturally drew me to real estate development and urban planning.

2. What would you say is your area of expertise? What do you love about it?

My research focuses on affordable housing policy, neighborhood change, residential (in)stability and advanced research methods. I’m especially interested in why neighborhoods change or stay the same, and why people move or stay. I love that these questions are closely tied to everyday life and to the ways housing policy and real estate development shape communities. Methodologically, I am hoping to use novel data and technologies to answer these questions.

3. What brought you to CAPLA? Where were you located and what were you doing before joining the college?

A very different landscape and many of the same housing challenges. After spending eight years on the East Coast, I was curious to see how similar housing questions play out in a different context. I was also drawn to CAPLA’s supportive community and the strong overlap in research interests. Before joining CAPLA, I was completing my PhD in City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania.

4. What excites you most about working for CAPLA?

Students, colleagues, mentors and the broad Tucson community! CAPLA’s interdisciplinary character and opportunities to connect real estate, planning, design and the built environment in my teaching and research are particularly exciting to me.

5. What kinds of research have you done in your career? What inspired that work?

A lot of my research comes back to one question: how do housing policies affect whether people stay, move or are pushed out? The interest grew from my experience as a research analyst at the New York City Housing Authority. Even when programs like the Rental Assistance Demonstration promise residents the right to remain, many residents still worry about the introduction of private partners into public housing redevelopment. My research is motivated by a desire to test those promises with evidence and better understand what these policies actually mean for residents.

6. What are you teaching this semester, and what do you enjoy most about teaching?

I am co-teaching graduate-level “Methods for Urban Planning” with Dr. Currans, and I am also teaching “Intro to Quantitative Methods in Real Estate” for undergraduates. 

What I enjoy most is interacting with students and seeing them grow, whether it’s gaining confidence, developing a new skill or starting to see a topic in a different way.

7. What advice do you have for students?

Don’t hesitate to ask questions. There really are no silly questions, and instructors genuinely want to hear from you. Questions often lead to better conversations and can help everyone in the room learn.