Dr. Nohad A. Toulan is Dean Emeritus of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies and Planning. He is an internationally recognized urban planner who contributed extensively to the development of major urban and regional plans in the U.S., the Middle East, North and West Africa. Dr. Toulan has been an adviser to the United Nations Development Program and to local and foreign governments on development issues. He was a member of the CRAG committee that drafted the Portland Urban Growth Boundary and has served and chaired numerous task forces for the City of Portland.
A native of Egypt, he grew up in Cairo and Alexandria. He received a degree in Architecture from the University of Cairo, a Masters Degree in City Planning from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1965 he became the first Planning Director of the Greater Cairo Region and he is the author of many of the concepts that continue to shape policy in that growing region. In 1966 he guided the development of new urban policies for the Cairo Metropolitan area, under UN auspices. In 1972 he came to PSU from New York where he was on the faculty of Architecture and Planning at Columbia University.

In 1984/85, while on a 20-month leave of absence from PSU, he directed the preparation of a very comprehensive regional plan for the Holy City of Mecca which presented extraordinary challenges. He has received numerous awards in Oregon and nationally for his leadership and vision as a professional planner. His research and publications cover such areas as city and regional planning, housing, and urban design.