Dr. Ackerman studies the rhetoric of public space, which considers how the built environment, collective memory, and institutional policies configure our cities and neighborhoods. Of particular interest are the zones and policies that connect cities and campuses, and then how engaged scholarship contributes to economic renewal. His recent work is framed around everyday life in post-industrial neighborhoods and cultural economies. These economies are local, material, narrative and express regional solidarity.
keywords
community design, rhetoric in public spaces, collective memory, cultural economies, regional planning
