Sonoma State University

Kevin Fang

Associate Professor and Director, Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC)

Dr. Fang
Kevin Fang

Contact

707-664-3144
[email protected]

Office

Stevenson Hall 3504

Office Hours

Sign-up at calendly.com/kmfang for a reserved time slot and/or Zoom link

My teaching and research interests center around the geography of cities. About 80% of the US population lives in urban (vs. rural) areas, and a majority of the US population has been urban for a century. The UN estimates that a majority of the world’s population lives in cities as of 2014. I look at cities through the lens of “community planning” – the process by which cities consider their future physical form and the provision for the needs of residents. In many of my classes we discuss the inexorable challenges cities around the world are facing such as contributions to – and impact from –climate change, air and water pollution, social equity, housing unaffordability, and fiscal and economic constraints.

In terms of research, my work centers on issues of sustainable transportation in cities. In particular, I am interested in the characteristics of sustainable alternative modes of travel and their users. Additionally, I am interested in how our land use patterns (what cities put where) can either facilitate or (frequently) inhibit the use of sustainable travel modes.

Some of my current work looks at emerging “micromobility” transportation, such as scooters, “Segway”-type devices, and hoverboards. I have spent several years investigating skateboarding as a real mode of transportation. A summary of that work can be found here from Transfers magazine: https://transfersmagazine.org/faster-than-walking-more-flexible-than-biking-skateboarding-as-a-real-mobility-mode/

Education

PhD Transportation Technology and Policy. University of California, Davis. 2016.

Graduate Certificate. Atmospheric Aerosols and Health. University of California, Davis. 2011.

M. City and Regional Planning, MS Engineering (specialization in Transportation Planning). California Polytechnic State University. 2009.

BA Integrative Biology. University of California. 2006.

Academic Interests

Transportation

Land use planning

Urban development patterns

Environmental impact analysis

Housing

Selected Publications & Presentations