Partner Organizations
EDDIT is a partnership between the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Toronto, and TheCaseMade. EDDIT is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The School of Cities
The School of Cities is a world-leading, interdisciplinary center for urban research, education, and engagement at the University of Toronto, dedicated to uncovering new ways for cities and their residents to thrive.
Center for Community Innovation
The mission of the Center for Community Innovation (CCI) at the University of California, Berkeley is to nurture effective solutions that expand economic opportunity, diversify housing options, and strengthen connection to place. CCI works toward more equitable, resilient futures for communities.
TheCaseMade
TheCaseMade helps everyday heroes emerge as leaders through the power of storytelling, or Strategic Case Making™. They train leaders how to persuade stakeholders and the public to throw their support behind deeply transformational systems change.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
RWJF works with others to identify, understand, confront, and remove the structural barriers to health and well-being, including racism, powerlessness, discrimination, and their consequences. RWJF supports research, programs, policies, and practices aimed at bringing about meaningful change and improving the lives of everyone in our nation now and for generations to come.
The EDDIT Team
Project Leads
Karen Chapple
Karen Chapple, Ph.D., is the Director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, where she also serves as Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning. She is Professor Emerita of City & Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, where she served as department chair and held the Carmel P. Friesen Chair in Urban Studies. Chapple studies inequalities in the planning, development, and governance of regions in the U.S. and Latin America, with a focus on economic development and housing.
Evelyne St-Louis
Evelyne St-Louis (she/her) is an urban planning professional passionate about advancing equitable urban policy & development. She is especially interested in affordable housing, land use, and transportation issues. In prior roles, Evelyne has worked as a planner for the City of Hartford, CT, and as a consultant with Strategic Economics, an urban economics firm based in Berkeley, CA. Evelyne St-Louis holds a Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in Geography from McGill University.
Michelle Zhang
Michelle Zhang holds a Master of Science in Planning and a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies; Peace, Conflict and Justice; and Human Geography from the University of Toronto. To bring together her interests in both global and local scales, Michelle is particularly invested in exploring how collaborative governance and partnerships can support the development of community spaces and places.
Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen is a cartographer and urban data scientist. He has an MA and PhD in Geography from the University of Toronto focusing on neighbourhood change, suburbanization of poverty, and transit accessibility in Canadian cities. He additionally holds a BASc in civil engineering, has worked as a data science and visualization consultant for public and non-profit organizations, and has published several academic journal articles and public reports. He has also taught courses and workshops in GIS, spatial analysis, urban geography, and transportation planning.
Julia Greenberg
Julia Greenberg is interested in using geospatial and data analysis to understand the impacts of land use, housing policy, and climate change on housing vulnerability and displacement. Julia is committed to collaborating with community-based organizations, governments, and other stakeholders to promote strategies that increase equitable access to affordable housing.
Student & Admin Team
Nima Ashtari
Nima Ashtari is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto who is currently studying political science and urban planning. He will complete his Bachelor’s degree in 2024. Although his interests span law, public policy, and civil rights, Nima is especially passionate about harnessing the power of municipal government to create more affordable and equitable housing and transportation.
Jenny Holland
Jenny Holland has a Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis and began working for UC Berkeley in 2012 with the English Department. After a somewhat brief hiatus in 2019, she is thrilled to be back with UCB supporting the EDDIT team! She has a deep appreciation for higher education and admiration for the research her colleagues are pursuing.
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