Trent is welcoming Kellen Zale, Associate Professor of Law at University of Houston Law Centre (Houston, Texas), our second Fulbright Research Chair in Comparative Canada-U.S. Studies. Professor Zale has been appointed by the School for the Study of Canada and the Canada-U.S. Fulbright Foundation. 

Professor Zale teaches and researches property and local government law, land-use, and real estate. Her law school experience is a strong foundation for her framework and approach to Canadian Studies. 

As a Fulbright Scholar, the consistent framework in Professor Zale’s approach in research and teaching will be comparative studies regarding Canada and the United States. For Professor Zale, “Canada provides a unique perspective on similar land-use issues we’re grappling with in the U.S., such as housing affordability and short-term rental market regulation. This opportunity to work closely with Canadian scholars and students at Trent University will be invaluable to my research.” 

Like many of us, she is excited to see Trent in the Fall, arguably its most beautiful looking season. For her specifically, Autumn is a reminder of her time on the East Coast at Princeton University and Duke Law School. 

Asides from admiring the foliage while at Trent, she will be teaching a new, upcoming course, “Comparative Land-Use Law and Policy,” in the School for the Study of Canada. More specifically, the course will touch on comparative land-use law and planning. 

Regulatory questions like how does the law work will be answered, guest speakers are promised to be featured, and there will consistently be a comparative approach. Course topics will include affordable housing, short-term rentals, and sustainable development, as some examples. 

Over the course of the term, students will be talking about how to regulate land-use and its relative conflicts. One such conflict that many of us are familiar with is the need for housing, including its construction and resulting impacts (i.e. intense machinery noise endured by neighbours). What are some ways to address this conflict? Is there a way for every neighborhood to take their “fair share”? How do we balance benefits from wind and solar farms, and their impacts on local housing nearby? Does the U.S. have something that Canada can learn from, and vice versa? These are questions that can be addressed in “Comparative Land-Use Law and Policy.” 

Her scholarship on property law and land-use might be of interest to students who are navigating experiences with accommodations of their own. There is a chance that the course might help students navigate obstacles that are difficult to address as an individual, whereas bonding with others, even by knowledge alone, is empowering. 

The course is set to give students background information and vocabulary to understand their experiences (and potential frustrations) managing housing. Knowledge can empower folks to advocate for ourselves, and alongside others. 

It is significant that in the midst of a local housing crisis, the School for the Study of Canada has selected a scholar on property and land-use, and is offering a course that might benefit students struggling with related conflicts. For those who are not able to register for the course, there is a promise of public events open to everyone interested in talks with Professor Zale. 

Her expertise on land-use topics has been recognized by major U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. For Arthur, it is a chance to point out the apt timing of her appointment as our local community is undergoing a housing crisis. It is important that her research focus reflects such a timely issue for Trent and Peterborough. As a Trent student myself, I am excited to use her teaching about land-use, housing affordability, and short-term rental markets, to better participate in our community by advocating for myself and others.