Petra Leisenring Doan
My main interests are in planning for less developed communities in both the US and overseas (Jordan, Egypt, Togo, Niger, and Botswana). In the US context I examine the tyranny of gendered planning and its social and economic impact on sexual and gender minorities, with a special focus on lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgender communities.
Subjects: Built Environment, Geography
Biography
My service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa stimulated a lifelong interest in planning for less developed communities in both the US and overseas (Jordan, Egypt, Togo, Niger, and Botswana).As an openly transgendered woman, I am very interested in the ways that planning can have an impact on LGBTQ populations. I have papers in Gender Place and Culture that explore transgendered perceptions of cities and public spaces and have published numerous other articles in Journal of Planning Education and Research, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Environment and Planning A, and International Development Planning Review.
Education
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B.A. Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA 1977
M.R.P. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 1984
Ph.D. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 1988
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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urban planning, gender analysis, community planning techniques, participatory development strategies
Books
Videos
Published: Dec 04, 2014
You tube video of my TEDxFSU talk. This talk integrates my life experiences as an out transgendered woman with my reflections on my profession as an urban planning and professor. I first explore why the Tyranny of Gender is the source of so much misunderstanding and unfortunate results. Then I use a set of auto-ethnographic reflections to illustrate why safe spaces are an essential component of urban areas.