Dr. Providence Adu Receives ‘Distinguished Dissertation’ Award

By Charlotte Urban Institute Staff

Providence Adu, Ph.D., research associate and data scientist at the Charlotte Urban Institute, was one of two UNC Charlotte doctoral students this year to receive the Graduate Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award as reported by Inside UNC Charlotte this July.

Adu, who completed a doctorate in geography this year, was recognized for the dissertation “Analyzing Housing Market Dynamics and Neighborhood Change: A Case Study of Charlotte, North Carolina.” Notably, the findings of Adu’s case study underscore the need for policies that address housing discrimination and spatial inequalities — issues that are currently significant to the booming Charlotte region.

In his role at Charlotte Urban Insitute, much of Adu’s work is centered on the analysis of geographical data, and he has been a key contributor to the Mecklenburg County Quality of Life Explorer. The online data tool explores the social, housing, economic, environmental, and safety conditions in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The tool includes more than 80 free, interactive and embeddable maps.

Adu joined the University after earning a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University in 2018.

The UNC Charlotte Graduate School presents its Distinguished Dissertation Award to doctoral students who exemplify exceptional research and scholarship at Charlotte.

Click here to read more about Adu’s winning dissertation and fellow Graduate Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award honoree Monica Rasmussen, Ph.D.