Katelynn Conedera

Katelynn is a PhD candidate in Urban and Regional Planning interested in unconventional and innovative community and economic development approaches in smaller cities and nonurban places. Her current research focuses on the emerging phenomenon of remote worker attraction programs, which forego the traditional economic development practice of attracting firms and instead directly target remote workers willing to relocate and bring their jobs with them.

In her dissertation, she examines the planning and development processes behind such efforts, approaching them both as individual programs and as elements of wider community and economic development strategies. By focusing on the planning process behind remote worker attraction, she aims to illuminate how local, regional, and state organizations in low-growth areas adapt traditional approaches to more effectively combat the effects of regional economic divergence.

Before her studies at the University of Michigan, Katelynn earned an MS in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont. For her thesis she researched resident perceptions of renewable energy projects in Vermont and evaluated the viability of a program utilizing optional energy fees to support the development of renewable energy infrastructure on dairy farms. She also received a BS in Community, Environment, and Development and a BA in English from the Pennsylvania State University. There, she participated in research surrounding the economic and social implications of fracking in Pennsylvania communities.

Katelynn is currently a research associate for the Detroit River Story Lab, where she is developing place-based education resources and an undergraduate course module for educators interested in integrating project-based learning into their curriculum. Katelynn has supported a variety of research projects at the University of Michigan, including her work with the Water Climate and Policy Lab developing the open access Municipal Drinking Water Database and a guide to accessing census data for all U.S. municipalities.