UAP Professor Derek Hyra Appointed to Alexandria Planning Commission

Derek Hyra, Ph.D.

Congratulations to UAP's Derek Hyra! Last night he was appointed by the city council to Alexandria's Planning Commission for a 4-year term.  See the story in today's Old Town Patch.

On the planning commission, he plans to focus on promoting affordable housing opportunities as well as equitable and sustainable development.  (Courtesy of SPIA)

Return of the Urbanites: The new face of urban renewal has revitalized Chicago’s hub

Derek Hyra, Ph.D.

This recent article by Sheryl Nance Nash in INSIGHT Magazine, published by the Illinois CPA Society, quotes UAP professor Derek Hyra:

"Ah, the heady days of 1949-1974, when urban renewal was at its prime. It was then that a major national undertaking to remove blighted properties and poverty from areas surrounding central business districts took place—in Chicago as well as other urban centers. Between 1949 and 1962 alone an estimated $3 billion was spent on this initiative. Adjusted for inflation, that estimate approaches $17 billion in today’s economy. When added to the renewal funds deployed between 1963 and 1973, the total cost of urban renewal likely exceeded $30 billion (in contemporary dollars), writes Derek Hyra in the Urban Affairs Review."  Read more at http://www.icpas.org/hc-insight.aspx?id=20631.

@UAPVirginiaTech's Derek Hyra recognized as Scholar of the Week by the Office of the Vice President for Research

by Barbara Micale

"The Office of the Vice President for Research recognizes Derek Hyra, associate professor of urban affairs and planning, for research on the redevelopment of inner-city, minority areas. Hyra’s work enhances understanding of how to facilitate equitable development that ultimately benefits long-term residents."  Read more at http://www.research.vt.edu/scholar-of-the-week/derek-hyra.

Please join us in congratulating Derek for this much-deserved recognition!

Derek Hyra’s Shaw/U Street research featured in Summer 2012 Virginia Tech Research magazine

"What happens when upscale comes to the ’hood? D.C.’s Shaw/U Street neighborhood has a rich cultural history and has had devastating riots. It’s on its way up again. But will it be enriched or thinned out? Derek Hyra’s in-depth ethnographic investigation of the redevelopment of the Shaw/U Street neighborhood in the northwest section of Washington, D.C., is the subject of the cover story in the Summer 2012 issue of the Virginia Tech Research magazine."  Read more at this link: http://ncr.vt.edu/highlights/Highlight-082312.html

Derek Hyra elected to governing council of Community and Urban Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association

by Barbara Micale

Derek Hyra, Ph.D.

"Derek Hyra, associate professor,  Urban Affairs and Planning, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, was recently elected to a three-year term on the council of the Community and Urban Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association."   

Read more at http://ncr.vt.edu/highlights/Highlight-062112.html