Dr. Margaret Dewar

Biography

Margaret Dewar is a Professor Emerita at Taubman College, University of Michigan, and serves as a special advisor for the university's Poverty Solutions initiative. Her research focuses on how urban planners can effectively address the challenges faced by cities that have experienced significant population and employment decline. Dewar's studies include remaking urban environments impacted by abandonment, revitalizing deteriorated neighborhoods, and reducing the negative effects of disinvestment on residents. Drawing from Detroit’s situation, her work aims to illuminate broader issues related to improving the quality of life in cities with diminishing populations. She conducts investigations into how residents and community-based organizations successfully repurpose vacant land in weak market environments, promotes homeownership among low-income households, and seeks strategies to stabilize housing while preserving historic structures. Her recent work involves efforts to prevent evictions and decrease the incidence of tax foreclosures. In 2013, she coedited the book 'City Abandonment' published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. In recognition of her contributions, she received the University of Michigan President’s Award for Public Impact in 2020.

Research Interests