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Eugenie Birch

Professor and Co-Director PennIUR (Institute for Urban Research) at University of Pennsylvania

About me

Eugénie L. Birch FAICP, RTPI (hon), is the Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research, Department of City and Regional Planning, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. She is the founding co-Director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, dedicated to integrative research and instruction in sustainable urban development. Prof Birch currently serves on the SDSN Executive Committee and as co-chair, SDSN’s Thematic Group on “Sustainable Cities: Inclusive, Resilient and Connected. Prof Birch has held many leadership positions including Editor, Journal of the American Planning Association, Chair, Planning Accreditation Board, President, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Society for American City and Regional Planning History, and the International Planning History Society and chair, UN Habitat’s World Urban Campaign. Prof Birch has served as a member of the New York City Planning Commission, and on the jury to select the designers for the World Trade Centre site. She has received several awards: Lawrence C. Gerkens Award in Planning History, Jay Chatterjee Award, Margarita McCoy Award and Distinguished Educator Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning and the President’s Award from the American Planning Association. Dr Birch’s most recent publications include Slums: How the Informal Real Estate Markets Work (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016) and “A Midterm Report: Will Habitat III Make a Difference to the World & Urban Development?” Journal of the American Planning Association (82:4 2016). Her current research includes work on informality, smart cities, and resilience. Dr Birch holds a PhD and Masters degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University.