Jenni Minner

Jenni Minner, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University, where she directs the Just Places Lab — a research and creative platform focused on how communities care for, preserve, reuse, repair, remember, and reimagine places.

Minner’s research explores the intersections of urban change, memory, and cultural heritage across diverse spatial and social contexts. She investigates methods for advancing circular cities through preservation, adaptive reuse, and material reuse. Her scholarship also examines the lasting spatial and social impacts of mega-events — such as World Expos and the Olympic Games — on cities and regions. She engages participatory land use and scenario planning approaches, incorporating spatial analysis and life-cycle assessment. She also engages in scholarship and creative practices focused on reflections of cities through art and film.

A core aim of Minner’s research and practice is to deepen the social and environmental impact of preservation and circular strategies. She is a cofounder of Circularity, Reuse, and Zero Waste Development (CR0WD) network. She is a member of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board. She has served on the Expert Advisory Committee of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and has held multiple leadership positions in historic preservation, including as a commissioner for both the City of Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission and the City of Olympia Heritage Commission. She is a cofounder and past president of MidTexMod, a regional chapter of Docomomo US, which focuses on the documentation and conservation of Modern Movement architecture.

Minner holds a Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Washington.