NYU Wagner

Dr. Shlomo (Solly) Angel teaches the History and Theory of Planning at the Wagner School. He also teaches a similar course at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and international Affairs at Princeton University. He is currently the principal investigator of a global study titled The Dynamics of Global Urban Expansion, financed by the World Bank and the National Science Foundation. The study focuses on a global sample of 120 cities and involves the development of a comparative set of metrics that characterize and explain the spatial structure of cities, as well as their patterns of growth and expansion of cities. Preliminary findings of this study show, for example, that contrary to expectations urban population densities are now declining worldwide. Dr. Angel is the author of Housing Policy Matters: A Global Analysis [Oxford, 2000], and is a recognized authority on housing sector assessment and housing policy analysis in developing countries. He has advised the United Nations, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank on housing and urban development policy, as well as conducted housing policy research in dozens of countries. His most recent research work focuses on developing a comprehensive set of metrics for measuring urban spatial structure, often referred to as sprawl, using GIS (Geographic Information Systems), as well as on developing a theoretical framework and a set of practical metrics for measuring the compactness of geographic shapes, including U.S. Congressional districts. Dr. Angel obtained a degree in architecture and a Ph. D. in urban and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley.

Areas of interest:

* Affordable Housing

* Urban Development

* Developing Countries

* Urban Expansion/Sprawl

* City Planning

* Planning Theory

* Indicators

* GIS Metrics

* District Compactness