Gerrit-Jan Knaap, the Center's executive director, is an economist and professor of Urban Studies and Planning.
He is the author of more than 50 articles and five books on state and local land use planning and economics. His research
interests include the economics and politics of land use planning, the efficacy of economic development instruments, and
impacts of environmental policy. He is co-author, editor, or co-editor of six books: Land Market Monitoring for Smart
Urban Growth; Environmental Program Evaluation; Spatial Development in Indonesia; The Regulated Landscape: Lessons on
State Land Use Planning from Oregon; Partnerships for Smart Growth: University-Community Collaboration for Better Public
Places; and, Incentives, Regulations, and Plans: The Role of States and Nation-States in Smart Growth Planning. He has
received "2006 Outstanding Planner Award" from the Maryland chapter of the American Planning Association. He earned a
B.S. from Willamette University, his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, and received post-doctoral training at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, all in economics.
(301) 405-6083
gknaap@umd.edu
