Robert Young
Assistant Professor
Department of Planning, Public Policy & Management
1209 University of Oregon
103 Hendricks Hall
Eugene, OR 97403-1209
Phone: (541) 346-1950
Email: ryoung@uoregon.edu
On leave Fall 2012
Education
Ph.D. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University. "Crossing Boundaries in Urban Ecology: Pathways to Sustainable Cities." Chair: Steve Wolf, 2007.
Master of City and Regional Planning; minor-Ecology and Systematics: Cornell University, 1995.
B.A., Government; B.A. English; minor-Agronomy: Cornell University, 1982.
Research interests
- environmental and economic policy and planning
- green infrastructure
- role of governance networks in advancing the development of more sustainable urban regions
- environmental policy and planning history, specifically innovations in urban environmental theory and implementation
Background
I work in the fields of urban and regional planning, sustainable economic development, and urban ecology. As a practitioner in the public sector I have served as the Director of Planning of the City of Philadelphia Recycling Office and was appointed by New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman to head the nation's first statewide Office of Sustainable Development. I also served as the New Jersey Commerce Department's representative on the Board of the New Jersey State Planning Commission.
In the private sector, I founded two successful, large-scale composting firms in California and New Jersey. In addition I helped develop and was co-director of the Sustainable Business Alliance, a coalition of firms interested in expanding the market for environmental technologies and design. While pursuing these projects I was invited by the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University to teach courses in environmental planning.
Courses and Seminars
- Pioneers of Sustainability
- Bioregional Planning: Creating Living City-Regions
- Seminar: Green Cities: The Future of Urban Ecology
- Environmental Planning
- Human Settlements
- Breaking Borders: Creating Bioregional Communities (Ecuador, global seminar)
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
Refereed articles
Young, Robert, 2011. “Planting the living city: best practices in planning green infrastructure – results from major US cities” Journal of the American Planning Association vol. 77 no. 4: 368-381.
Young, Robert, 2010. “Managing municipal green space for ecosystem services” Urban Forestry and Urban Greening vol. 9 no. 4: 313-321.
Young, Robert, 2010. “The greening of Chicago: environmental leaders and organizational learning in the transition toward a sustainable metropolitan region” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management vol. 53 no. 8: 1051-1068.
Young, Robert, 2009. “Interdisciplinary foundations in urban ecology” Urban Ecosystems vol. 12 (September): 311-331.
Young, Robert and Steven Wolf, 2007. “Toward a pragmatic program for critical urban ecology” Urban Ecosystems vol. 10 no. 3: 349-354.
Young, Robert and Steven Wolf, 2006. “Goal attainment in urban ecology research: a bibliometric review 1975-2004” Urban Ecosystems vol. 9 no. 3: 179-193.
Young, Robert. 1997. “The ecological origins of cities.” Colloqui: Cornell Journal of Planning and Urban Issues. vol. 13: 3-8.
Refereed articles in review
Young, Robert and McPherson, Gregory. “Governing green infrastructure on a metropolitan scale”
Young, Robert. “The rise of network ecology: governance and information networks in advancing municipal ecosystem services”
Young, Robert. “Oregon: from frontier economy to sustainable bioregion?”
Refereed articles in development
Young, Robert. “Best Practices in Financing Municipal Green Infrastructure”
Book chapters
Young, Robert, 2002. “Green Cities and the Urban Future” in From Garden City to
Green City-The Legacy of Ebenezer Howard, Kermit C. Parsons and David Schuyler, Editors. Baltimore, MD.: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Book reviews
Young, Robert. 2011. Review of Rawson, Michael, Eden on the Charles: The Making of Boston. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. H-Environment, H-Net Reviews. January, 2011. URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=31313
Selected reports & other publications
Young, Robert. 2010. Jobs Today, Jobs, Tomorrow: Kitzhaber Campaign Economic Development Platform. Portland, Oregon: Kitzhaber for Governor.
Young, Robert. 2007. Crossing Boundaries in Urban Ecology: Pathways to Sustainable Cities. Cornell University: Doctoral thesis.
Young, Robert, ed. 2000. Greening the Garden State. Trenton, New Jersey: New Jersey Department of Commerce.
Young, Robert. 1997- 2007. “Sustainable Commerce” bimonthly column, In Business: Creating Sustainable Enterprises and Communities. Emmaus, PA.: JG Press.
Young, Robert. 1997. “The Ecological Origins of Cities.” Colloqui vol. XIII (Spr. ): 3-8.
Young, Robert. 1996. From Garden Cities to Green Cities: Urban Ecology and the American Mind. Cornell University: Masters thesis.
Young, Robert and Grant Power. 1992. “Community-Based Strategies for Change”, In Context: Quarterly of Humane Sustainable Culture Number 33: 10-12. Bainbridge Island, Washington: Context Institute.
Young, Robert and Edward Campbell. 1990. “Recycling and the Trade Deficit”, Recycling Today July.
Young, Robert and Alfred Dezzi. 1989. “Urban Recycling and the Opportunity for Change”, Resource Recovery June: 11-15. Washington D.C.: National League of Cities
Young, Robert and Marion Storey. 1988. “Challenging the Disposal Society”, Environment and Waste Management World. Vancouver, Canada: EWM, Inc.
This page updated October 17, 2012