Maria Rosario Jackson
Board Member through January 2013
mjackson@urban.org
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson is a senior research associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Center at the Urban Institute (UI) and director of UI’s Culture, Creativity and Communities Program. Her research focuses on urban policy, neighborhood revitalization and comprehensive community planning, the politics of race, ethnicity and gender in urban settings, and the role of arts and culture in communities. Projects that Dr. Jackson has directed include the “Arts and Culture Indicators Project,” a national effort to integrate arts and culture into local and national quality of life and urban policy discussions and plans and “Investing in Creativity: A Study of the Support Structure for US Artists,” which examines the characteristics of communities that enable artists to do their work. Dr. Jackson has also directed or played a key role in studies on economic development, public safety, education, parks and housing. Her work has typically integrated both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Dr. Jackson’s work has appeared in academic and professional journals as well as edited volumes in the fields of urban planning, sociology, community development and the arts. She has been a speaker at numerous national and international conferences focusing on quality of life, changing demographics, communities and cities of the future, and arts and society. Dr. Jackson is also a consultant and has provided technical assistance in planning and program implementation to numerous organizations including various community development corporations, community based collaborative, organizations serving inner city youth, public housing resident organizations, service organizations and advocacy groups in the U.S. She has also consulted with a range of cultural organizations about their role in promoting civic engagement and community development.
Dr. Jackson earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California and a doctorate on Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.