Hi, I am Christine Wen, an assistant professor of urban planning at Toronto Metropolitan University specializing in economic development and municipal finance.
My research examines how local governments fund growth initiatives and public services, and what affects their capacity to do so effectively, efficiently, and equitably.
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highlights/updates
Good Jobs First wrote a blog on our paper published in Journal of Urban Affairs that examines the fiscal impacts of New York's industrial development agencies on school districts.
this blog I wrote for TMU's Center for Urban Research and Land Development features the Port Lands studio project for CreateTO by a team of fourth-year students (see 'teaching').
research
municipal finance: tax policy, local revenue and spending, service delivery
economic development: business incentives, education and schools, workforce
water infrastructure: municipal water, wastewater, and stormwater governance
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publications
C. Wen, E. Marcello, & M. Warner (2026) "The fiscal impact of tax abatements on New York's school districts" Journal of Urban Affairs, 48(4), 1393-1404. [link]
C. Wen (2024) "Do economic development tax abatements affect school finances?" Economic Development Quarterly, 38 (1), 3-14. [link]
C. Wen & G. LeRoy (2023) "Making the students pay? The gross fiscal cost of tax incentives for U.S. school districts." Community Development, 54 (4), 479-495. [link]
C. Wen (2020) "Educating rural migrant children in interior China: The promise and pitfall of low-fee private schools." International Journal of Educational Development 79. [link]
C. Wen, Y. Xu, Y. Kim, & M. Warner (2020) "Starving counties, squeezing cities: Tax and expenditure limits in the U.S." Journal of Economic Policy Reform 23 (2), 101-119. [link]
C. Wen & J. Wallace (2019) "Toward human-centered urbanization? Housing ownership and access to social insurance among migrant households in China." Sustainability 11(13), 3567-3581. [link]
teaching
current @ Toronto Metropolitan University, School of Urban and Regional Planning
municipal finance for planners (PLG710-undergrad, PL8103-grad)
this course equips prospective planners with essential knowledge of local government finance, with a focus on Ontario/Toronto. topics covered are: municipal revenues and expenditures, budgeting process and accounting standards, service delivery level and pricing, infrastructure finance, land value capture and growth funding, institutional structures and intergovernmental relationships, economic development planning, and land/housing feasibility analysis.
advanced research methods and analysis (PL8104-grad) with Dr. Samantha Biglieri
this course covers theory and application of qualitative and quantitative methods commonly used by planners. students learn to write literature review and develop their major research project proposal. I teach the quantitative half which includes descriptive and inferential analysis as well as basic mapping, previously using R with possible future switch to Python.
planning design and technology (PLE825-undergrad)
this course introduces students to the principles and concepts of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analytics pertinent to urban planning projects. Students will practice software skills, including reproducible workflow using arcPy, to effectively analyze and communicate geographical patterns and relationships.
advanced planning studios (PLG620 and PLG720-undergrad)
these courses involve upper-class students to hands-on work for a client. last fall, the students created a development concept for CreateTO for a complete community on a vacant Port Lands site that included massing, market, and feasibility studies, for which they were awarded the Emilio Deo Memorial Award for Studio Excellence from the School.
former @ University of Calgary, School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape; Geography
planning and the future of cities (PLAN201-undergrad)
introduction to cities (GEOG/UBST253-undergrad)
introduction to visualizing complexity (DSGN213-undergrad)
geographical information systems for environmental design (PLAN608-grad)
former @ Texas A&M University, Department of andscape Architecture and Urban Planning
sustainable communities (undergrad)
urban issues (undergrad - co-taught)
building better cities (undergrad)
planning theory and history (grad)
applied planning (grad client-based studio for Liberty County, TX)
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media
publications I wrote for Good Jobs First [link]
+ where I was quoted, interviewed, or my study/report featured
Consumer Reports
Bloomberg Tax
The Conversation
Bloomberg Law
Washington Post
Philadelphia Inquirer
Post and Courier
Chalkbeat Philadelphia
MinnPost
The State
Substack
Bloomberg CityLab
American Economic Liberties Project
about
I am an assistant professor of urban planning at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) specializing in municipal finance, urban economics, and quantitative methods. After receiving my Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University in 2019, I worked as researcher/coordinator for a D.C.-based nonprofit (Good Jobs First) and assistant professor at Texas A&M University. I then taught intro geography, planning, and data visualization at the University of Calgary.
