Dr. Larissa Larsen

Biography

Larissa Larsen is a Professor at the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. She specializes in Urban Regional Planning, focusing on the intersections of environmental planning, land use, and climate change. Her teaching encompasses graduate classes on environmental planning and urban design methodologies, particularly exploring how urban areas can adapt to extreme weather and climate impacts. Larsen's research investigates urban environmental problems such as extreme heat and stormwater flooding, particularly in the context of climate change and its effects on water resources. She is known for her interdisciplinary work that integrates concepts from public health, civil engineering, and urban climatology. Notably, she collaborates with researchers in Ethiopia to study the effects of rapid urban development on water ecosystems in East Africa. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, she worked as a landscape architect and urban planner in Chicago and taught for several years at Arizona State University. Larsen holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed her undergraduate and master's degrees at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

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