PhD, Urban and Regional Planning, Florida State University
MSP, Concentration in Urban and Regional Planning for Developing Areas, Florida State University
BA, Sociology; BA, History; Minor in Spanish; Certificate in Urban Studies, Wheaton College
Awards
Wick Cary Presidential Professorship
OU Presidential Professorship, OU
David L. Boren Award for Outstanding Global Engagement
Professional Credentials
Member, American Institute of Certified Planners
Member, American Planning Association
Featured Contracts, Grants, and Sponsored Research
Creating Accessible and Actionable Methane Emission Data for Oklahoma Communities. 2025-2028. Dept. of Energy. Co-PI with PI David Ebert and Co-PIs Binbin Weng, Tim Filley, Xiaoming Hu, Chenghao Wang, Wolfgang Jentner, Ming Xue, Chengsi Liu, Carrie Leslie. $10,000,000. AWARDED – Rescinded by federal government in 2025.
Well Emissions and Leakage Limitation Check (WELL Check) Dept. of Energy. PI with PIs Binbin Weng, Tim Filley, Catalin Teodoriu. $8,956,319 AWARDED -- Rescinded by federal government in 2025.
Climate Pollution Reduction Grant—Support to OK Department of Environmental Quality. 2023-2025. US Environmental Protection Agency. Co-PI with PI Tim Filley, Co-PIs Lauren Mullenbach, Scott Greene, Charlie Warnken, Chenghao Wang, Ming Xue, Xiaoming Hu, Royce Floyd, Brad Illston, David Ebert, Binbin Weng, Otavio Costa Acevedo, Petra Klein, and Xiangming Xiao. $599,000.
Security in Context Network Grant. 2023-2024. Carnegie Corporation of New York. Co-PI with Firat Demir. $275,000.
CIVIC-PG Track B: Legacy Building Toolset. 2022-2023. National Science Foundation. Co-Pi with Deborah Richards, Vanessa Morrison, and Chris Weaver. $49,991.
Outsourcing Community Development and Advocacy?: A Case Study of Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma. Faculty Investment Program. 2020-2021 .OU VPRP. Co-PI with PI C. Aujean Lee. $15,000.
Center for Peace and Development- Security in Context Network Grant. Carnegie Corporation of New York. 2020-2022. Co-PI with PI Firat Demir and Co-PI Sally Beach. $175,000.
Northern Uganda Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference. Pros for Africa. 2019. with Co-PIs Lupe Davidson, Sally Beach. $10,000.
Northern Uganda Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference. Pros for Africa. 2018. with Co-PIs Lupe Davidson, Sally Beach. $5,000.
International Programs Committee Faculty Travel Award. College of Architecture. 2018. PI. $5,000.
Baseline Conditions for Women in Northern Uganda. Faculty Investment Program (FIP). OU Vice President for Research. 2018. with Co-PIs Lupe Davidson and Firat Demir. $14,820.
Harris, J. C., Beach, S. A., “Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference,” Sponsored by Pros for Africa, Private, $5,000. (2018).
Harris, J. C., Davidson, M. D., Demir, F., “OU FIP,” Sponsored by OU VPR, The University of Oklahoma, $14,820. (March 2018 – June 2019).
Harris, J. C.,, “Program for Research Enhancement,” The University of Oklahoma, $5,000. (2017 – 2018).
Baseline Conditions for Women in Northern Uganda. Program for Research Enhancement, OU College of Architecture. 2017. with Co-PIs Lupe Davidson and Firat Demir. $5,000.
Start-up grant for OU Center for Peace and Development. Private Gift, Reggie and Rochel Whitten. 2017. Co-PI with Suzette Grillot and Sally Beach. $70,000.
David L. Boren Award for Outstanding Global Engagement. OU Provost’s Office. 2017. PI. $1,500.
Women of NE OKC Photovoice Project. Junior Faculty Fellowship, University of Oklahoma. 2017. PI. $7,000.
Support for Oklahoma City General Obligation Bond Participation Plan. Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma/City of Oklahoma City. 2016. PI. $1,500.
Presidential International Travel Fellowship. University of Oklahoma. 2016. Principle Investigator, $2,000.
Women of NE OKC Photovoice Project. Humanities Forum Fellowship, OU Humanities Forum. 2016. PI. $5,000.
Women of NE OKC Photovoice Project. Research Seed Grant, OU College of Architecture. 2016. PI. $3,000.
International Travel Award. OU College of Architecture. 2016. PI. $2,500.
International Programs Committee Travel Grant. OU College of Architecture. 2016. PI. $3,000.
Jourdan, D. E. (Principal Investigator), Harris, J. C. (Co-Principal Investigator), Wieters, K. M. (Co-Principal Investigator), “Tribal Climate Change Planning Initiative,” Sponsored by U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal. (February 15, 2015-December 31, 2016).
Tribal Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. Bureau of Indian Affairs. 2015. Co-PI with Dawn Jourdan and Meghan Wieters. $43,961.
Technology Innovation Grant. OU College of Architecture. 2015. PI. $1,622.
Junior Faculty Fellowship. OU Vice President for Research. 2015. PI. $7,000.
Presidential International Travel Fellowship. University of Oklahoma. 2015. PI. $2,000.
Moore, B. (Principal Investigator), Harris, J. C. (Co-Principal Investigator), Jourdan, D. E. (Co-Principal Investigator), “Jourdan–Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Workshop for Tribal Leaders. Tribal Climate Change and Extreme Event Response Studies to Identify Vulnerability Assessments,” Sponsored by U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal. (August 1, 2014-July 31, 2015).
Tribal Climate Change and Extreme Event Response Studies to Identify Vulnerability. South Central Climate Science Center, 2014-2015, Co-PI with Dawn Jourdan and Shannon Van Zandt. $21,466.
International Travel Award. OU College of Architecture. 2014. PI. $3,000.
Technology Innovation Grant. OU College of Architecture. 2014. Co-PI with David Boeck. $1,500.
Dissertation Research Grant. Florida State University. 2011. PI. $10,000.
Selected Publications
C. Aujean Lee & John Harris. “In the Age of Skepticism: Building Partnerships with Nonprofits to Strengthen Resilience in SMCs” in Routledge Handbook of Resilient Urban Planning for Small and Medium-Sized Cities. 2025
Firat Demir, John Harris, Maria del Guadalupe Davidson. “Grassroots Organizations and Women’s Empowerment in a Post-Conflict Region: Evidence from Women Organizations in Northern Uganda”. Journal of Globalization and Development. 2024
C. Aujean Lee & John Harris. “Practitioner Perceptions of City-Subcontracted Community Organizing: An Exploratory Study in Oklahoma City”. Journal of the American Planning Association. 2024
C. Aujean Lee & John Harris. “Outsourcing Neighborhood Planning Processes?: A Case Study of a Nonprofit in the City of Oklahoma City" Journal of Planning Education and Research. 2022
John Harris, Daniel Komakech, David Monk, Maria del Guadalupe Davidson. “The gendered postconflict city: possibilities for more livable urban transformations in Gulu, northern Uganda” Journal of Urban Affairs. 2022
David Monk, Maria del Guadalupe Davidson, John C. Harris “Gender and Education in Uganda” in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. 2021
John Harris, Christopher Lê, Maria del Guadalupe Davidson. “Reflections on Community Based Participatory Research Techniques in Global Planning and Design Courses” in The Routledge Companion to Architectural Education in the Global South. 2020
Grace Acan, Evelyn Amony, John Harris, and Maria del Guadalupe Davidson. “How formerly abducted women in post-conflict situations are reasserting their humanity in a hostile environment: Photovoice evidence from Northern Uganda” Gender and Development. 2019
Denyvetta Davis, Cheree Harris, Venita Johnson, Cheryl Pennington, Cresha Redus, Tiffani Sanders, Net-Hetep Ta-Nesert, Gina Sofola, Vanessa Morrison, John Harris, and Eyakem Gulilat. “Black Women’s Perspectives on Neighborhood Safety: Reflections from the Women of Northeast Oklahoma City Photovoice Project” Gender, Place and Culture. 2019
Harris, J. and Little, S. “Mapping hope: How do vulnerable youth locate hope in informal settlements?” Urban Forum. 2019
Harris, J. “What are the land delivery and land holding mechanisms for African informal light manufacturing clusters?” Urban Forum. 2018
Harris, J. “Vulnerable youth’s perspectives and priorities for informal settlements: Photovoice evidence from Lusaka, Zambia” Journal of Planning Education and Research. 2017. Winner of the Best Faculty Paper Award from the Global Planning Educators Interest Group of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
Harris, J. "Joint Action In Nairobi’s Informal Production Clusters" International Development Planning Review, 38(3). 2016
Harris, J. “Accra’s unregulated market-oriented sanitation strategy: Problems and opportunity” in Allen, Lampis, and Swilling, eds., Untamed Urbanisms. Routledge. 2015
Harris, J. “Meeting the challenges of the handicraft industry in Africa: Evidence from Nairobi” Development in Practice 24(1). 2014
Harris, J. “The Messy Reality of Agglomeration Economies and Urban Informality” World Development. 61. 2014
Harris, J. "The Confounding Influence of Urban Informality on Innovation and Production Specialization in Production Clusters: Evidence from Nairobi” African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development 6(6). 2014
Harris, J., Doan, P., & Wilson, K. “Local Development Planning and the Tourism Sector: Prospects for Reducing Volatility in Tourism Impacts in Kenya” International Development Planning Review. 2012
