Department of Urban and Regional Planning Faculty

So Ra Baek is an urban planner whose research addresses the intersection of public health and the built environment. In particular she studies the role of race/ethnicity and acculturation in relation to physical activity and neighborhood design. 

As an interdisciplinary scholar, he utilizes multiple theoretical and methodological lenses to interrogate issues related to urban health, public policy, environmental governance, land tenure, and sustainable urbanism in both Global North and South countries.

Before joining the Department of Environmental Planning and Design at UB in 1983, Professor Sam Cole worked in a wide variety of national and international positions in national, urban, and regional planning. 

Currently teaching Strategies of Property Management, Stephen Fitzmaurice has been a property management professional over 30 years. 

Zoé Hamstead, PhD is an assistant professor of environmental planning. Her work is concerned with dynamics of urban systems – in which a growing majority of the human population is coming to reside – with a focus on climate impacts and climate management. 

Associate Professor Hiroaki Hata holds a post-professional degree in urban design from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture degree from Washington University.

Kang's research focuses on the relationships between built environments and health behaviors and outcomes.

Daniel B. Hess is studying housing design and planning solutions in post-Soviet cities across the Baltic States through a prestigious international fellowship. His research also addresses how the built environment influences travel behavior.

Ashima Krishna is an architect and historic preservation planner whose research spans the management of historic urban landscapes in developing countries, adaptive reuse of religious historic structures and landscapes, and world heritage sites in the developing world.

Adjunct Instructor
Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Dr. Park’s research interests are urban economics and transportation modeling as applied to natural and man-made environmental and security problems.

Dr. Page’s research focuses on a variety of issues related to environmental planning, which involves the study of how to use the planning process to minimize the negative effects of the natural environment on humans and of human settlements on the natural environment.

Professor Price’s research overlaps his professional practice and public service interests, and is concerned primarily with housing for low-income households.

Samina Raja’s is an international expert on the role of planning and policy in building sustainable food systems and healthy communities. She directs the School of Architecture and Planning's Food Lab, including its current work on a grant to build food systems in communities across the U.S.

Professor and Dean
School of Architecture and Planning
UB Campus Architect / Senior Fellow, UB Regional Institute

Robert Silverman applies urban planning to the study of the non-profit sector, the role of community-based organizations in urban neighborhoods, education reform, shrinking cities, and inequality in inner city housing markets.

Dr. Sternberg’s current work is on the ethics of complex decision making to avert disasters, whether from terrorism or natural or technological hazards.

Dr.  Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. research focuses on a historical and contemporary analysis of distressed urban neighborhoods, social isolation and race and class issues among people of color, especially African Americans and Latinos. 

Elizabeth Walsh’s research and teaching focus on the theory, history and practice of environmental justice, sustainable development, and regenerative design.

Kerry Traynor has been working in the field of historic preservation for over 20 years. Professor Traynor has a diverse background including work in the private and public sectors, as well as in academia.

A graduate of The University of Detroit School of Architecture in 1976, He was in Private practice for over 30 years.

My research focuses on practical applications of spatial models, joining amenity and location theory with applied GIS and simulation methods to explore the complexity and dynamic processes of urban systems for environmental planning, urban design, and sustainable development.