Grengs, Joe

Chair of Urban and Regional Planning
Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning

Biography

Joe Grengs serves as the chair of the Urban and Regional Planning program, as well as Coordinator of the Transportation Planning concentration. He teaches courses in transportation planning, spatial analysis, and a doctoral research seminar. His research focuses on transportation planning and how metropolitan land-use patterns contribute to uneven economic development and social inequalities. His work argues for improving transportation systems by shifting from mobility to accessibility as the primary criterion by which transportation policy is evaluated. He focuses on showing how the concept of accessibility offers a more effective evaluation tool for advancing social justice than current planning practices. He serves on the Executive Committee and is Treasurer for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). He was appointed by the Obama Administration and currently serves on the Federal Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Joe is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a registered professional engineer, with work experience in both the private and public sectors, and in international settings. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.