Senior Research Fellow, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University
Professor Emerita, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University. Professor Bratt received a Ph.D. from M.I.T. in Urban and Regional Studies and was a Professor at Tufts University, from 1976 – 2014. From 1995-2001 and from 2004-2007, she served as chair of her department. This background provides her with a deep understanding of university issues, concerns, and interests, in the context of a community setting.
In addition to her academic activities, Professor Bratt worked as a professional planner in the City of Worcester, Massachusetts and has served on a number of boards and advisory committees: the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank (1984-1986); the Multifamily Advisory Committee of MassHousing (1983-1996); the board of the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (1990-present); and the Community Development Research Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (2012-2014). In her local community, she served on the Wayland (Massachusetts) Planning Board and is currently the chair of the Wayland Housing Partnership. She has been an active participant in planning processes with diverse stakeholders.
Her professional consulting work has included projects undertaken under contract to the Ford Foundation, NeighborWorks, Fannie Mae Foundation, and the Family Impact Seminar. In Massachusetts, she has done consulting work for: Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure (COHIF); Citizens’ Housing and Planning; Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Housing Partnership Network; and the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development.
Professor Bratt’s research has addressed a range of housing and community development issues, with a specific focus on the role of nonprofit organizations in supplying decent, affordable housing to low-income households. She is the author or co-author of dozens of articles, book chapters and professional reports. Her most recent published work includes: “The Mortgage Crisis: Historical Context and Recent Responses” (Journal of Urban Affairs, in press); “Addressing Restrictive Zoning for Affordable Housing: Experiences in Four States” (Housing Policy Debate); “The Quadruple Bottom Line and Nonprofit Housing Organizations in the United States” (Housing Studies); and a book chapter, “Beyond the Ladder: New Ideas about Resident Roles in Contemporary Community Development in the United States.” Professor Bratt is the author or co-editor of three books including: Rebuilding a Low-Income Housing Policy (1989); Critical Perspectives on Housing (1996); and A Right to Housing: Foundation for a New Social Agenda (2006). Keynote addresses have included Australia’s national housing conference; and Washington State and Arizona’s statewide housing conferences, as well as scores of presentations for domestic and international audiences.