Dr. Lance OwenHumanities Faculty
*as of July 1, 2018*
Owen's path to urban geography was circuitous. After earning a BA in Music from the University of Arkansas, he then undertook an MPhil in Musicology at the University of Cambridge, where a thesis on the interplay between music and suburban landscapes in film provided a pivot to geography. After several years working in university administration at the University of Arkansas and teaching mathematics as a Teach for America teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he completed a PhD in Geography at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Owen's reserach areas focus on the urbanization process of American cities. He has published articles on high-rise apartment development, shopping center design, and skyscrapers, and his dissertation--which he is currently revising into a book manuscript--is a study of the landscape and culture of Interwar Kansas City.
Having taught social science and geography courses to students at UC Berkeley, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and North Cross School in Roanoke, Virginia, Owen brings to Lab Atlanta a desire to engage students in non-traditional ways and to show them firsthand the joy of engaging with the city and its people. In addition to learning all he can about Atlanta, its history, and its urban landscapes, Owen also remains an active presenter at conferences, including those of the Society of American City and Regional Planning Historians and the Urban History Association.