Douglas Porter

Biography: Douglas Porter, FAICP President Growth Management Institute Chevy Chase, Maryland He is one of the nation’s leading authorities on managing community and regional growth. In consulting and writing, and through the nonprofit Growth Management Institute (which he founded in 1992), he conducts research and engages in educational activities. His work spans the spectrum from affordable housing programs to transportation/land use relationships, regional growth management, transit-oriented development, and local community development issues. From 1979 to 1991, Porter directed the public policy research program of the Urban Land Institute. His recent publications include Smart Growth Endorsement/Rating Systems (APA), Breaking the Logjam: Civic Engagement by Developers and Planners (ULI), Inclusionary Zoning for Affordable Housing (ULI), Developing Around Transit (ULI), Exploring ‘Ad Hoc’ Regionalism (Lincoln Institute), Making Smart Growth Work (ULI), and The Practice of Sustainable Development (ULI). He is an AICP Fellow and received a B.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University and an M.S. in the same subject from the University of Illinois. Porter began his career in Washington as a planner with a newly formed consulting practice, Marcou, O’Leary and Associates. In his 12 years with that firm he became a partner and directed many planning projects, including preparation of numerous plans for downtown revitalization, urban renewal, and neighborhood renewal. Working with business organizations, neighborhood committees, and public staffs he focused on defining economically feasible projects that met public and private objectives. His work also included preparation of comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, and subdivision regulations for several cities and counties, working closely with local planners and planning commissions. Also he analyzed the fiscal effects of development projects and proposed comprehensive plans using a computer-assisted fiscal impact model. (May 2012)