Edna Ely-Ledesma

Biography 

Edna Ely-Ledesma, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Director of the Kaufman Lab for the Study and Design of Food Systems and Marketplaces. She holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University, Master of Architecture and a Master of Urban Design from the University of Texas at Austin, and Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University. She is a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellow. In 2016, Ely-Ledesma was the Emerging Scholar of Race & Gender Fellow in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, and in 2017, she was the Carlos E. Castañeda Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Research Interests

The corpus of her research, teaching, and mentoring focuses on understanding the development of the smart, green, and just 21st century city, particularly the cultural landscapes of immigrant populations, micro-economies, and their development of a new understanding of city place. Her work seeks to bridge the gap between communities and city governments to help define the design agency of Latinx/e communities, a traditionally under-represented group.

Her interests revolve around city design, planning, markets, public spaces, hybrid space, incrementalism and human geography.

Selected Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Denda, Stefan, Marko D. Petrović, Zlata Vuksanović–Macura, Milan M. Radovanović, and Edna Ely-Ledesma. (2024). “What Are the Current Directions in the Local Marketplaces Fiscalization? The Online Media Content Analysis.” Societies, 14 (4) 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14040053

Van Solen, Julia, Lamoureaux, Yulia Baltusova, Garcia, Susan, Grady, Suzanne, Feenstra, Gail, Liang, Hangbing, and Ely-Ledesma, Edna. (2023). “Low-Income Consumers Turn Towards Farmers Markets During the COVID-Pandemic.” California Agriculture, 77(131-138). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d62q9vz

Ely-Ledesma, Edna, and Tiffany Langabeer-Champaigne. (2022). “Advancing access to care through telehealth: a community assessment of Brownsville, TX.” Healthcare. 10(12):2509. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10122509

Ely-Ledesma, Edna. (2022). “Advancing Latino Engagement Methodologies in Urban Planning: Pláticas for Local Economic Development.” Latino Studies, 20: 368–389  https://doi.org/10.1057/s41276-022-00379-y

Ely-Ledesma, Edna. (2022). “Leveraging Markets to Develop Central Capabilities: Case Studies of Cotati, CA and Brownsville, TX.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. Vol. 42 No. 7/8, pp. 656-674. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-02-2022-0056

Petrović, Marko, Edna Ely-Ledesma, Snežana Štetić, Igor Trišić, and Milan M. Radovanović. (2022). “Lessons learned from historical development and modern practice of marketplaces – Focus on the Serbian capital city.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. Vol. 42 No. 7/8, pp. 675-695.  https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-10-2021-0269

Ledesma, Edna. (2021). “How Urban Planning Impacts Latino Vendor Markets.” Sustainability, 13:9, 5165. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095165

Ledesma, Edna, Arden He, Phil Warsaw, Alfonso Morales, Leah Rosenblum, and Brian Wiedenfeld. (2021). “Citizen Scientist: Farm 2 Facts Supporting Farmers Markets.” Sustainability, 13:11, 6162. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116162

Petrović, Marko, Edna Ledesma, Alfonso Morales, Milan M. Radovanović, and Stefan Denda. (2021). “The Analysis of Local Marketplace Business on the Selected Urban Case – Problems and Perspectives.” Sustainability, 13:6, 3446. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063446

Ledesma, Edna, and Cecilia Giusti. (2021). “Why Latino Vendor Markets: Latino Vendor Market Case Studies of California and Texas.”  Journal of the American Planning Association, 87:3, 341-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2020.1851288

Ledesma, Edna. (2020). “West Rail Corridor Study: Designing A New City Place in South Texas.” Platform, 2020-2021, 72-77.

Ledesma, Edna, Giusti, Cecilia, Safarova, Bara, Vasquez, Leo, and Esther Valles Rojas. (2015). “Diálogo on the Border: Planning for Latino Communities in South Texas.” In S. Stein, C. Irazábal (Eds.), Progressive Planning: Summer 2015, 40-43.

Sullivan, Esther, and Edna Ledesma. (2015). “Same Trailer, Different Park.” Contexts, 14:1, 50-57.

Safarova, Bara, Edna Ledesma, Greg Luhan, Stephen Caffey, and Cecilia Giusti. (2015). “Hackathon as a mechanism for activating beginning design education.” In M. Jackson, G. Marinic, & L. Kirkland (Eds.), eCAADe, 2, 233-240.

Peer Reviewed Book Chapters and Edited Volumes

Stiphany, Kristine and Edna Ely-Ledesma. (Forthcoming). (Editors). Insurgent Urbanisms in the Americas. Routledge.

Ely-Ledesma, Edna. (Forthcoming). “Designing a New City Place: Green Infrastructure on the U.S. Mexico-Border.” in Stiphany, K., Ely-Ledesma, E. (Eds.) Insurgent Urbanisms in the Americas Routledge.

Ely-Ledesma, Edna. (Forthcoming). “Brownsville Market Square: A Resurgence of City Life.” in Marinic, G., Meninato, P. (Eds.) About Streets. Springer.

Ely-Ledesma, Edna. (2022). “Quasi-informality of Latino Vendor Markets on the Border.” in Marinic, G., Meninato, P. (Eds.) Informality and the City: Theories, Actions, and Interventions. Springer.

Ledesma, Edna, and Cristina Cruz. (2020). “Shaping Success: Exploring the Evolution of Latino Business on U.S.-Mexico Border States.” in A. Morales, M. Pisani, P. Oyes, J. Porras (Eds.) Advancing Latino Entrepreneurship: A National Economic Imperative. Purdue University Press.

Giusti, Cecilia, and Edna Ledesma. (2019). “Diálogos for Latino Communities.” in L. Tate, B. Shannon (Eds.) Planning for AuthentiCITIES. Routledge.

Safarova, Bara, and Edna Ledesma. (2018). “Reading the figure ground on the Texas – Mexico border 1920 – 1970: Brownsville – Matamoros twin cities.” in R. Cansino, F. Lara (Eds.) Architecture and Forced Exploitation: The Gulf of Mexico, 1920-1970. University of Texas Press.

Selected Research Support

External Awards

2023-2026 – Campus Principal Investigator (PI)

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Project Title: “Improving Adoption and Utilization of Metrics and Evidence-Based Marketing at Farmers Markets”

Federal Award Identification Number: 23FMPPMI1184

PI: Michigan State

Award Amount: $499,957

UW Madison Subaward: $216,058

2022-2027 – Campus Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) with Alfonso Morales        

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Project Title: “Quantifying the Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Growing and Marketing Climate-Smart Commodities in the Southern Piedmont”

Federal Award Identification Number: NR233A750004G019

PI: Rodale Institute

Award Amount: $25,000,000

UW Madison Subaward: $2,455,793

2022-2023 – Principal Investigator (PI)

Sponsor: Big Green DAO

Project Title: “Farm2Fact and Brownsville Wellness Coalition”

Award Amount: $15,000

2021-2024 – Campus Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) with Alfonso Morales

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Project Title: “Farmers Market LIFE: Expanding farmers’ markets’ reach to non-traditional communities through online platforms, access innovations, and place-based outreach”

Federal Award Identification Number: 21FMPPCA1019

PI: Petaluma Bounty

Award Amount: $749,941.93

UW Madison Subaward: $99,037.00

2021-2024 – Campus Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) with Alfonso Morales

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Project Title: “Sustain and Grow Wisconsin Farmers Markets through Data Collection, Networks and Collaboration”

Federal Award Identification Number: 21LFPPWI1016

PI: UW-Extension

Award Amount: $749,661

UW Madison Subaward: $61,978

2021-2023 – Campus Principal Investigator (PI)

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Project Title: “Central Wisconsin Farmers Market Food Equity Project:

improving FoodShare access at farmers markets through community

investment and engagement”

Federal Award Identification Number: 21LFPPWI1025

PI: Wood County

Award Amount: $199,998

UW Madison Subaward: $105,183

Internal Awards

2024-2025 – Principal Investigator (PI)

Sponsor: Office of Vice Chancellor for Research

Title: Central Wisconsin Farmers Market Collaborative: Demonstrating a Return

on Investment from Improving Food Equity at Farmers Markets

Duties: Conduct outreach to farmers in central Wisconsin

Award Amount: $50,621

2022-2023 – Principal Investigator (PI)

Sponsor: Morgridge Center for Public Service

Title: Central Wisconsin Farmers Market Food Equity Project: improving FoodShare

access at farmers markets through community investment and engagement

Duties: Conduct outreach to farmers in central Wisconsin

Award Amount: $5,000

2021-2022 – Principal Investigator (PI)

Sponsor: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE)

Title: “Latino Vendor Markets: Selected Case Studies of California and Texas”

Duties: Collect primary data on the impact of COVID-19 on Latino Vendor Markets.

Award Amount: $24,000