Research Expertise and Interest
political polarization, politics of infrastructure, transportation policy and planning
Research Description
Research and Areas of Interest
Karen Frick is an expert on major transportation infrastructure projects, the politics of infrastructure, and transportation planning and policy. Her current research focuses on conservative, Tea Party and property rights activists' perspectives on planning and planners' responses. She received a "Best Paper of the Year" Award for research on the topic from the Journal of the American Planning Association.
Research in this area is published in the journal Urban Studies which received a "top five" designation, in Planning Theory and Practicewhich was shortlisted for award consideration, and in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.
A short related article was published in Planning Theory and Practice, and for the California Planning and Development Report.
She also co-curated/edited and contributed to a collection of essays titled “Strengthening Planning’s Effectiveness in a Hyper-Polarized World”.
Her past research includes an evaluation of variable tolls on the Bay Bridge and an investigation of best practices and challenges related to transport innovations.
Community Partnership and Advising Awards
Karen is the recipient of a 2016 Award for Outstanding Faculty Advising from UC Berkeley’s Excellence in Advising Awards Program; the 2019 STEM Partner Award with the College of Environmental Design Student of Color (CEDSOC and Low Income First Generation (LIFgen) groups from Self e-STEM. Self e-STEM is a non-profit organization based who provides extensive pipeline STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education and mentoring opportunities for elementary to high school girls from untapped communities in the greater Bay Area (Selfestem.org). Also see Fostering Conversations in STEM; and 2020 the Women's Transportation Seminar San Francisco Bay Area Chapter's Katherine G. Johnson Trailblazer Award.
Professional Experience in Planning
Prior to her University position, Karen was a transportation planner at the San Francisco Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission for nine years where she worked on a wide range of activities including the agency's award-winning Transportation for Livable Communities program, congestion pricing, transport funding and policy, and legislative analysis.