Joe T. Darden, Professor Emeritus in the department of geography, environment, and spatial sciences at Michigan State University, has been selected to receive the seventh Van Cleef Memorial Medal from the American Geographical Society for his distinguished work “in the field of urban geography.”
The Van Cleef Memorial Medal was established in 1970 through a gift from Dr. Eugene Van Cleef, Professor Emeritus of Geography at the Ohio State University. In 1923, Dr. Van Cleef gave the first course in urban geography in an American university and in 1937 published the first book on urban themes by an American geographer. The award is conferred on scholars who have done outstanding original work in the field of urban geography, preferably, though not necessarily, in applied rather than theoretical aspects.
Dr. Darden’s research interests include residential segregation and socioeconomic inequality by neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics in metropolitan areas. He is the author, co-author, or editor of eight books including The African Diaspora in the United States and Canada at the Dawn of the 21st Century (Global Academic publishing, 2009). His book Detroit after Bankruptcy: Are There Trends Towards an Inclusive City is forthcoming from Policy Press.
Dr. Darden earned a Ph.D. in 1972 at the University of Pittsburgh.
