Lynne Dearborn

Program Chair in Health and Well-being, School of Architecture
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Lynne Dearborn, PhD, AIA, is past Program Chair in Health and Well-being for the School of Architecture, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her work addresses the intersection of environmental design, policy, and health. Through her research, studio teaching, and service, she seeks to identify and ameliorate inequitable and deleterious environmental conditions experienced by marginalized groups. She is the author of numerous publications addressing questions of social justice and equity among minority peoples, engaging physical, social, economic, and political aspects of the environment to address human health and well-being. She leads an interdisciplinary team of faculty and graduate students exploring how designed environments can lead to healthier outcomes for vulnerable populations. This team is one of nine university-based teams in the inaugural cohort of the AIA’s Design + Health Consortium.

  • Our homes and neighborhoods have a powerful impact on our physical and mental health, with the potential to exacerbate chronic and acute health problems and cost the U.S. billions of dollars annually. Sherry Ahrentzen and Lynne Dearborn investigated how the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), the nation’s largest source of funding for the development and preservation of affordable rental housing, can contribute to shaping a healthier housing stock.

    December 1, 2020

  • The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program is the nation's single most important source for building and preserving safe and decent affordable rental housing. It is also a potentially powerful tool for improving the health and well-being of low-income families.

    August 7, 2018

  • The built environment and housing have pronounced effects on community health. This study will look at the reach of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs and their potential to produce healthier rental housing that serves low-income and vulnerable populations. The research will focus on four research questions:

    October 21, 2016

    Has Evidence