Cari Varner, PhD Student

In 2001, Cari Varner received a Bachelor of Science in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell University. Later, she attended the University of Michigan where she graduated with a M.S. in Resource Policy and Behavior with a focus on environmental psychology and a Masters of Urban Planning. Cari's thesis work at UM was on the impact of further industrial development on an Arab-American community's health and well-being in Dearborn, Michigan, and their efforts for environmental justice.

Between school, Cari has traveled extensively and worked in both private planning and architecture firms in the Northeast. From 2007 - 2010, Cari served as Assistant Director of the Carl Small Town Center at Mississippi State University's School of Architecture. While at the CSTC, Cari worked throughout the state of Mississippi with various community organizations and municipalities on downtown revitalization, urban design and planning efforts. Cari also taught architecture studio and community design electives within the School of Architecture.

In 2009, she was selected by the Design Futures Council as an Emerging Leader in Sustainable Design. While pursuing a PhD at the University of Maryland, Cari's research interests include: human-environment relations, urban design, community design, American suburban development and the socio-cultural influences on design. She is working with Professor Sidney Brower to explore the impact of American-style suburban development and housing on lifestyle and identity in globalizing countries.

Cari Varner
PhD Student
Urban Studies and Planning Program
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
University of Maryland