Faculty

The Department’s faculty is diverse, and the range of expertise it brings is well aligned with the mission, and goals and objectives of the Program. Faculty members produce high quality research and scholarship, and generate funding to support and mentor graduate students. They also actively engage in professional practice and community outreach, which enables a strong link between their research and instruction.

Makena Coffman, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Makena Coffman

Environmental Planning, Energy and Climate Change Policy, Resource Management, System Modeling

Ashok Das, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Ashok Das

Community Participation and Empowerment, Slum Upgrading, Decentralization and Local Governance, Role of Civil Society in Equitable Development and Inclusive Urbanization, Integrated Microfinance, Disaster Risk Reduction, Socioeconomic Impacts of the Platform Economy, Reforming Planning Practice through Planning Education, Southeast Asia, South Asia

Priyam Das, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Priyam Das

Water Governance, Social and Environmental Justice, Urban Poverty, Climate Adaptation, Urban Form, Resilient Design, Planning Pedagogy

Peter Flachsbart, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Peter Flachsbart

Transit-oriented Development, Neighborhood Planning, Environmental Psychology, Human Exposure to Air Pollution

Karl Kim, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Karl Kim

Risk Assessment, Risk Management, Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, Transportation, Traffic Safety, Resilience, Environmental Management, Advanced Methods, GIS, Spatial Statistics, Categorical Data Analysis, Evacuation Modeling

Dan Milz, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Dan Milz

Environmental Planning, Dispute Resolution, Facilitation, Community Engagement, Participatory/Collaborative Planning, Resilience

Joonyup Park

JoonYup Park

Urban Economics, Real Estate, Housing Economics

Subhashni Raj, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Subhashni Raj

Climate Change, Food Systems Planning, Climate Adaptation Planning, Environmental Planning

Suwan Shen, Faculty, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa

Suwan Shen

Climate Change Impact, Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability, Risk Perception and Adaptation

Professors Emeriti

Tom Dinell

Tom Dinell

Planning Theory, Citizen Participation, Social Policy, Professional Practice, Conflict Resolution

Michael Douglass

Michael Douglass

Urbanization in Asia, Rural-urban Linkages, Spatial Planning Theory, Community and Civic Space, Migration

Luciano Minerbi

Luciano Minerbi

Comparative Urbanism, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Sustainability, Pacific Islands Planning

Reginald Kwok

Reginald Kwok

Urban Planning, Political Economy of Chinese Development, Urbanization, Globalization in East Asia, Spatial Planning, Cultural Impact on Urban Design

Affiliate Faculty

  • Peter Adler, Principal and Founder, ACCORD3.0 Network
  • James R. Campbell, Professor at Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
  • Mike Dahilig, Managing Director, Office of the Mayor, County of Kaua’i, Hawaii
  • Micah R. Fisher, Fellow, East-West Center
  • Dolores Foley, Retired Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
  • Laura S. L. Kong, Director, UNESCO/IOC-NOAA International Tsunami Information Center
  • Pradip Pant, Planning Program Administrator, Statewide Transportation Planning (STP) Office, Hawaii Department of Transportation
  • Ryan Tam, Director of Planning Environmental Compliance & Sustainable Mobility, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART)
  • Karen N. Umemoto, Helen and Morgan Chu Endowed Director’s Chair and Professor, University of California at Los Angeles, Asian American Studies Center, Department of Urban Planning & Department of Asian American Studies

Lecturers

  • Lee Sichter, President, Lee Sichter LLC
  • Kamuela Enos, Director of Indigenous Innovation for UH System, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI)
  • Dacheng Dong, Senior Associate, PBR Hawai’i
  • Jiwnath Ghimire, Assistant Specialist Hi-DRAW Coordinator, UH Mānoa