Biography

I study the relationship between real estate development and urban planning. I got drawn to this research area through my experience as a practicing planner. I worked for the City of Cambridge’s Community Development Department and the Boston Planning and Development Agency in Massachusetts. While working at these agencies I witnessed first-hand the contentious debates around real estate development and growth at the local level. However, most practicing planners were not equipped with knowledge and skillset to steward real estate developments in a way that would complement planning goals. In academia, on the other hand, for-profit real estate development was seen as inherently antithetical to progressive planning and thus, little attention was given to real estate development. In response, my work aims to connect the two worlds. I strive to identify how planners and policymakers can harness the forces of real estate development to further progressive planning values and encourage equitable development outcomes.

Education

Bachelor of Architecture: Yonsei University. 2011. Architectural Design
Masters: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2013. Master in Urban Planning
PhD: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2019. Urban and Regional Planning

Research Activities

Large-scale land developments
Value capture
Land use and zoning
Socially-responsible real estate development
Opportunity Zones

Selected Publications

• Kim, Minjee. 2021. “How Do Tax-Based Revitalisation Policies Affect Urban Property Development? Evidence from Bronzeville, Chicago.” Urban Studies, March, 0042098021995148. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098021995148.
• Kim, Minjee, and Tingyu Zhou. 2021. “Does Restricting the Entry of Formula Businesses Help Mom-and-Pop Stores? The Case of Small American Towns With Unique Community Character.” Economic Development Quarterly 35 (2): 157–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912424211002913.
• Kim, Minjee, Emil Malizia, Marla Nelson, Laura Wolf-Powers, Joanna Ganning, and Greg Schrock. 2020. “Real Estate Development and Economic Development Planning Education: Pragmatic Turn or Trojan Horse?” Journal of Planning Education and Research, October, 0739456X2096356. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X20963568.
• Kim, Minjee. 2020. “Negotiation or Schedule-Based?: Examining the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Public Benefit Exaction Strategies of Boston and Seattle.” Journal of the American Planning Association 86 (2): 208–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2019.1691040.
• Kim, Minjee. 2020. “Upzoning and Value Capture: How U.S. Local Governments Use Land Use Regulation Power to Create and Capture Value from Real Estate Developments.” Land Use Policy 95 (June): 104624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104624.
• Kim, Minjee. 2019. “Adventures in the Land of OZ.” Planning Magazine, American Planning Association, June 2019. https://www.planning.org/planning/2019/jun/adventuresinoz/.