Sarah Cooper

• Ph.D. (Urban Planning and Policy), University of Illinois, Chicago
• M.C.P. (City Planning), University of Manitoba
• B.E.S. (Environmental Studies), York University

• Canadian Institute of Planners
• Manitoba Professional Planners Institute
• Registered Professional Planner (RPP)

Housing policy; housing and community development; neighbourhood change; planning in colonial contexts; Indigenous planning; neoliberal urbanism; community-based research.

My research interests focus on social policy and the implications of privatization and commodification of social programs. I approach my work with a social justice lens, seeking to identify and address inequity in policy development and implementation. My current research examines housing for low-income households in Canada, with a focus on the expiry of social housing funding agreements—an issue that will transform the landscape of housing and housing policy in Canada over the next few decades.

I grew up in Toronto, and completed a Bachelor of Environmental Studies at York University (Toronto), followed by a Master of City Planning at the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg) and a PhD in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois (Chicago). Prior to completing my PhD, I worked as a Research Associate and Planner at the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources in Winnipeg, and as a researcher at the Manitoba office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. I have worked on a wide variety of research and planning projects, including neighbourhood housing plans, watershed and community plans, and housing and social policy analysis.

Cooper, S. and J. Hajer. 2020. The COVID-19 Policy Response for Renters and Persons Experiencing Homelessness in Manitoba. In COVID-19 in Manitoba: Public Policy Responses to the First Wave. (pp. 173-180). Eds. A. Rounce and K. Levasseur. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.

Cooper, S., Hajer, J., and S. Plaut. 2020. Assisting Renters:  A Critical Analysis of Manitoba’s Rent Assist in the Context of Canada’s National Housing Strategy. Winnipeg. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba.

Cooper, S. with M. Barchyn. (2018). Not Alone: Research as a Relational Process. In S. MacKinnon (Ed.), Practising Community-Based Participatory Research: Stories of engagement, empowerment and mobilization (162-175). Vancouver: Purich Books.

Cooper, S. (2018). Why Protecting Public Housing is Important. Winnipeg: Canadian Centre for Policy-Alternatives-Manitoba.

Cooper, S. (2015). A Terrific Loss: The Expiring Social Housing Operating Agreements in Manitoba. In J. Brandon and J. Silver (Eds.), Poor Housing: A Silent Crisis. Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.

Cooper, S. and I. Skelton. (2015). Addressing Core Housing Need in Canada. Winnipeg, MB: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba. 50pp.

Cooper, S. (2014). The Meeting Place: Examining the Relationship Between Colonialism and Planning at The Forks, Winnipeg. In I. Skelton (Ed.), Decolonizing Planning: Experiences with Urban Aboriginal Communities and First Nations. Champaign, IL: Common Ground Publishing. 13pp.

Cooper, S. (2013). It’s Getting Great: Government Investment in Gilbert Park and Lord Selkirk Park. Winnipeg: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba. Available at www.policyalternatives.ca. 76pp.

Cooper, S. (2012). You Know You're Not Alone: Community Development in Public Housing. Winnipeg: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.