Dr. Laura Solitare is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy in the Barbara Jordan – Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. She received her Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Rutgers University. Dr. Solitare is a passionate advocate for environmental justice and healthy communities. She believes that everyone has the right to live in a healthy and sustainable environment, regardless of their race, ethnicity, income, or zip code. She is committed to using her research and teaching to help create more equitable and sustainable communities.
She has conducted research on brownfields for over two decades, examining the environmental and economic benefits of brownfields redevelopment, the role of community participation in brownfields redevelopment, and the environmental justice implications of brownfields redevelopment. She currently focuses on noise pollution in which she examines the effectiveness of policies to equitably ameliorate the harms caused by noise, with a specific focus on train horns and quiet zones.