NSPE Associate Dean Named Next President of Society for American City and Regional Planning History
Joseph Heathcott has been exceptionally busy these past few years. He’s served as the 2010-2011 U.S. Fulbright Distinguished Chair to the United Kingdom at the University of the Arts in London, and as a Senior Visiting Scholar at the London School of Economics. He’s lectured, consulted, and judged urban design reviews both in the U.S. and internationally, published his photography in magazines and journals, appeared in the documentary film The Pruitt-Igoe Myth, and currently serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Initiatives for The New School for Public Engagement—all while holding down a rigorous teaching schedule in the University-Wide Urban Programs. He just added one more role to his roster: president of the prestigious Society for American City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH). On October 6, Heathcott began presiding over the Board of Directors and the Editorial Board for the 300+ members that constitute the organization, which promotes scholarship on the planning of cities and metropolitan regions. He oversees the preparation for SACRPH’s next conference in 2015, ensure financial stability, expand membership, liaise with other professional societies, and undertake special initiatives. “I am honored to inherent such an incredibly well-run organization that produces leading work in the study of urbanism, planning, and the built environment—all while excelling in the mentoring and professionalization of graduate students, ” said Heathcott. “As one of the first presidents of SACRPH who started with the organization as a graduate student, I realize how important the society is for welcoming and orienting young scholars into the field.” Founded in 1986, SACRPH sponsors a biennial National Conference on Planning History, grants prizes and awards for outstanding accomplishments in American planning history, research, teaching, and publication, produces a semi-annual newsletter, and publishes the quarterly Journal of Planning History. Renowned as a highly collegial organization, SACRPH brings together university scholars and practitioners in urban planning, design, architecture, and historic preservation. Heathcott is the organization’s thirteenth president, and follows Lawrence Vale, the Ford Professor of Urban Design and Planning at MIT. To learn more about Heathcott’s work, click here.