Professor Kellen Zale has been appointed the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Comparative Canada-U.S. Studies. With this honour, Prof. Zale, an esteemed associate professor from the University of Houston Law Center, will be joining Trent University for the Fall 2023 semester. This opportunity will see her collaborating with Canadian scholars and practitioners in her field while furthering her research on land use, housing affordability, and short-term rental markets. 

“We are delighted to welcome Professor Zale to our institution,” said Dr. Heather Nicol, director of the School for the Study of Canada. “Her expertise in the interdisciplinary realm of land use, along with her wealth of experience, embodies the essence of our institution's commitment to excellence in research and teaching. Professor Zale's dedication to collaborative and innovative research aligns seamlessly with our mission at Trent University, and we eagerly anticipate the transformative contributions she will bring to our students and academic community.” 

Exploring shared challenges to find innovative solutions

While at Trent, Prof. Zale will teach a course on comparative land-use law and planning, which will complement her research on regulatory responses to the growth of short-term rentals in North America. The course will include guest speakers from Canadian practitioners and professors and provide students with hands-on experience by attending local planning board hearings to understand real-world land-use issues. 

“I'm thrilled to have been awarded this Fulbright grant,” said Prof. 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 in my research.” 

Prof. Zale's research focus will centre on shared challenges between Canada and the U.S., examining innovative solutions for treating short-term rentals under property taxation systems in different jurisdictions. Her investigation will assess whether these systems appropriately address the similarity between short-term rentals and commercial entities like hotels. 

By advancing understanding and debate on these issues, Zale hopes to make a significant contribution to Canadian and U.S. scholarship on land-use and property law, shedding light on the implications these laws have on housing affordability, environmental sustainability, and local communities. The appointment of Zale underscores the commitment of Trent University and Fulbright Canada to fostering cross-border academic exchange and research collaborations, contributing to broader societal discourse and policy development in both countries.