Kristen Hackett is a doctoral student in the Environmental Psychology sub-program at the CUNY Graduate Center. As a social justice researcher Kristen’s work focuses on modes of more equitable resource distribution as well as documenting present-day inequalities. Her MA thesis focuses on re-framing youth political participation in light of the socio-material conditions in which young people’s political agency is taking shape. Recently, Kristen has begun conducting research on participatory budgeting, work that she hopes will be the basis of her dissertation. In addition, Kristen has worked as a research associate for the Housing Environments Research Group (HERG) for the last four years. Her work with HERG has focused on the extent to which the alternative housing model, community land trusts, can affordably, stably, and sustainably house households that have traditionally marginalized from homeownership, and from stable housing more generally. Kristen also teaches in the Urban Studies Department at Queens College.