Dr. Bryce C. Lowery
Assistant Professor of City & Regional Planning, University of Oklahoma
Dr. Lowery is currently assistant professor of city and regional planning at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on social determinants of health and spatial inequalities of neighborhood effects, particularly the availability and access to healthy food. Evidence suggests that conditions of the built environment are often chronic rather than acute, hindering, rather than supporting, positive health outcomes, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. He is interested in developing concepts and testing measures that will more specifically show how context influences individual behavior--while researchers and practitioners acknowledge the role of proximity, there is still inadequate understanding about how, when, where, and for whom contextual factors affect access to nutritional resources. His research documents these inequalities and provides guidance to public health and planning professionals working toward making sure communities have an opportunity to lead a healthy life.
Previously, Dr. Lowery served as a member of the public health workforce of Los Angeles County working directly with local community groups seeking to strengthen their advocacy efforts through the use of community-based research. He serves as a reviewer for the American Journal of Public Health, Land Use Policy, Urban Design International, and the Journal of the American Planning Association. Previously, he served on the City of Los Angeles Billboard and Visual Landscape Visioning Group, the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, and the Ventura-Cahuenga Corridor Specific Plan Review Board in Los Angeles. He currently serves on the City of Norman Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.
Dr. Lowery received his Ph.D. in planning from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in landscape architecture from California State Polytechnic University, a master’s degree in environmental policy and behavior from the University of Michigan and bachelors’ degrees in economics and environmental studies from the University of Southern California.