Director

Graduate Studies in Urban Affairs and Planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

For the past twenty years, Dr. Nelson has conducted pioneering research in land use planning, growth management, public facility finance, and urban development policy. He has made notable contributions to the areas of development impact fees, farmland and forestland preservation, urban containment, the preservation of small town character in the face of urbanization, and more recently the effect of metropolitan governance structures on metropolitan economic development. Recently, he served HUD for a year as an expert on planning in the Clinton and Bush Administrations.

Numerous organizations have sponsored Dr. Nelson's research. They include the National Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and others. Dr. Nelson's research and practice has led to the publication of eight books and more than 150 scholarly and professional publications worldwide.