Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Eugenie Birch is the Lawrence C. 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. She is co-editor of Penn Press The City in the 21st Century series that has published more than thirty volumes since 2005. Dr. Birch has served in 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 World Urban Campaign. For the Habitat III conference, Birch served as president, General Assembly of Partners; member, Policy Unit 6 Urban Spatial Strategies: Land Markets and Segregation; and member, U.S. delegation to the conference. Dr. Birch currently serves on the SDSN Executive Committee and as co-chair, SDSN Thematic Group 9, Sustainable Cities: Inclusive, Resilient and Connected. In her home city, Dr. Birch has been a member of the New York City Planning Commission, and of the jury to select the designers for the World Trade Center 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 Presidents Award from the American Planning Association.