Justin D. STERN

Justin D. Stern is a scholar of urban planning and design with expertise in international and comparative planning, environmental planning, public health, and healthy housing. He is currently Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Design in the Department of Architecture (DOA) at the National University of Singapore. At DOA, Stern teaches across the urban planning and design programs, offering courses such as Urban ASEAN: The Changing City in Southeast Asia, Qualitative Methods for Urban Planning, Cities and Economic Development, and Critiques of Contemporary Urban Design. Prior to joining DOA, Stern was an Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Urban Studies) at Yale-NUS College

Stern’s current research explores the spatial, environmental, and health dimensions of urban development, combining ethnographic methods, policy analysis, and spatial analysis. His ongoing project investigates the urban accessibility needs of people with chronic health conditions and “invisible” disabilities, such as environmental illness and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This multi-country, community-engaged study spans the United States, Canada, Denmark, Singapore, and Japan, with implications for environmental planning, housing policy, and the design of accessible, healthy living environments. This work builds upon his earlier research on how the rise of nighttime work in the Philippines has reshaped urban planning and social practices.

Stern's research has received support from organizations such as the Fulbright Program, the Joint Center for Housing Studies, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, the Rajawali Foundation, and the Asia Research Institute.

Stern holds a PhD in Urban Planning from Harvard University, a Master of Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a bachelor’s degree in Design Studies and Political Economy from Sarah Lawrence College. In 2022 and 2023, he was a visiting scholar at Yale University's MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies.

In 2020, he was the Harold A. Pollman Postdoctoral Fellow in Real Estate and Urban Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Prior to his doctoral studies, Stern worked as an urban planner in the affordable housing sector in the South Bronx, New York City.