Bio
Luke Walsh is a first-year Master of Urban Planning candidate at NYU Wagner with the intent to specialize in Urban Analytics. Originally from Pennsylvania, Luke attended the College of the Holy Cross where he received a B.A. in History with a minor in Writing. He is particularly interested in utilizing data analysis to tackle pressing urban issues such as displacement, socioeconomic inequity, tenant advocacy and zoning law, which is present in his work for NYU Wagner’s school newspaper, the Wagner Planner. Following undergrad, he served as a teacher in East Harlem, NY where he taught 10th and 12th grade History. While teaching, he developed a passion for urban planning as he witnessed the educational and housing inequities his students faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This summer, he is excited to work with the KC Tenants, a grassroots tenant organization working on social housing proposals in Kansas City, MO.
Mission Statement
The housing crisis impacts cities and communities across the United States, and has led to a rise in rent-burden, evictions, and displacement. Tenants in Kansas City, MO are experiencing such crisis, which is amplified due to the long-standing history of redlining and segregation in the city. Organizations such as KC Tenants collectively responded and achieved a tenant’s bill of rights and right-to-counsel for eviction court hearings. Further, they have developed a People’s Housing Trust Fund, and a campaign towards their North Star, municipal social housing.
My goal for the summer is to aid the campaign by developing a social housing toolkit and a feasibility study, concentrating on vacant, publicly-owned land. I also aim to be an attentive member of the organization, and reflect on how KC Tenants fits into the current political, social, and cultural landscape of Kansas City, MO and, in a broader sense, the growing collectivist, unionized movement across the United States. As someone who has never visited Kansas City, I hope to be cognizant of my positionality when interacting with tenants facing hardships such as eviction and displacement.
