colin powell school
Yana Kucheva: Championing Housing Justice and Community Engagement
Professor Yana Kucheva, interim chair of the Sociology Department at CCNY, explores the intricate intersections of housing, social inequality, and justice, She is also deeply engaged in community-based research. Currently the interim director of CCNY’s Sociology Department, Kucheva channels her passion for teaching and mentorship, inspired by her own mentor, Professor Hilary Silver.
Please share something about your personal and professional background.
I am a sociologist and demographer who studies U.S. housing policy, the social safety net, and environmental and climate justice. I came to the U.S. as an undergraduate student at Brown University where I earned a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and economics. I completed my PhD in Sociology at The University of California, Los Angeles and was a postdoctoral scholar at the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University. At CCNY, I teach courses on housing and community development, poverty and inequality, environmental sustainability and social justice, and methods of sociological research. This year I am also the Interim Chair of the Sociology Department. I am an avid indoor and outdoor urban gardener and in my free time, I take care of street trees and write about the social history of houseplants.
How did you discover a passion for your field; and what made you decide to pursue a PhD?
As a freshman in college, I signed up for a mentoring program where I was paired with a faculty member — Prof. Hilary Silver — who met with myself and a group of students once a month to discuss the transition to college and provide guidance on classes. I reconnected with Prof. Silver as a junior when I took her course on housing and homelessness in the U.S., and she helped me apply for summer funding to do research on the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program in Rhode Island. That study turned into my undergraduate thesis project, and I have been researching housing in the U.S. ever since. Prof. Silver was also the person who encouraged me to apply to graduate school and guided me through the process. This experience has been formative in how I mentor students at CCNY and is one of the main reasons why I have chosen to dedicate my career to teaching and working with undergraduate students.
Can you please briefly describe your scholarly work and findings? What’s most meaningful to your field — and to you — about your work?
My research is at the intersection of U.S. housing policy, social inequality, and social justice. I have published widely on the relationship between residential segregation, geographic mobility, and U.S. fair housing policy, with a particular focus on HUD assisted housing programs and anti-discrimination policies. My co-authored book Moving Toward Integration: The Past and Future of Fair Housing, provides the most definitive historical account from the 1880s to the present of how fair housing laws were shaped and implemented and how public policy can be used to achieve broad housing integration within a generation.
My current research combines the study of housing with immigrant, environmental, and climate justice. Recent projects in this context include a study of mixed-status families and the U.S. social safety net during the COVID-19 pandemic, funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, and a study of indoor air pollution in NYC, funded by the National Science Foundation. I am also the Principal Investigator of a large interdisciplinary project, funded by the CCNY Collegewide Research Vision (CRV) Initiative, which employs expertise across sociology, architecture, engineering, and computer science, to co-create scalable climate solutions with community partners in the areas of housing, energy, and environmental justice.
Can you say a bit about what brought you to CCNY and the Colin Powell School? How does CCNY differ from other colleges or universities you’ve been associated with?
When I first interviewed with the Sociology Department at CCNY, I knew I had found my people! Having colleagues who are genuinely excited to work with you and to support you is what makes all the difference for junior academics. We certainly do not have the resources of any of the institutions where I have earned my degrees, but CCNY’s impact on social mobility is as large as it is due to our commitment to educating students who are the first in their families to go to college. In fact, the most fulfilling part of my job here has been working with and mentoring undergraduate students and creating paid research opportunities for them to actively contribute to the production of knowledge on social justice issues.
Please share something about your plans — regarding research, teaching, engagement — for the next couple of years.
My current work focuses on community engaged research with partners across New York City. I am starting two new projects at the intersection of land justice, housing justice, and environmental justice in collaboration with WEACT and the NYC Climate Justice Hub (a partnership between CUNY and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance). I am also working on a new project on zoning, housing production, and residential segregation, funded by the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development. In Fall 2024, I am excited to teach my general education course on environmental sustainability and social justice. The first iteration of this course was disrupted by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I am looking forward to fulfilling the initial vision for the course as a vehicle to showcase the breadth of climate and environmental justice research done by CCNY faculty across all our divisions.
What would you want to make sure everyone knows about what makes the Powell School special?
It has been my privilege to grow as a scholar, teacher, and mentor at the same time as the Colin Powell School has grown and matured in its mission to educate the next generation of leaders in service to society. As the CCNY division that houses the social sciences, we combine an unparalleled commitment to our students and to engaged scholarship. We have comprehensive advising, mentoring and professional development services that are tailored to the specific needs of our students. And there is always someone available to help you – whether you are a freshman trying to fill out the FAFSA or a Department Chair that needs to figure out how to sign off on student scholarships!