Vivek Shandas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Planning
College of Urban and Public Affairs
Portland State University

B.S. (Biology) 1994, University of California, Santa Cruz;
M.S. (Economics), M.S. (Environmental Management & Policy) 1999, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;
Ph.D. (Urban Design and Planning) 2005, University of Washington.

Vivek Shandas’ teaching and research interests include: environmental policy, geographic information systems, natural resource management, participatory planning, and urban ecology. The broad objective of his research is to address three questions: (1) what is known about the effects of human activities on ecological integrity? (2) how do changes in ecosystems affect human preferences and decisions? and (3) how can institutions guide the growth of human settlements and its effects?

Current projects include: developing spatially-explicit tools for environmental planners, integrating human preferences and biophysical conditions into watershed planning policies, assessing public outreach strategies by planning agencies, and evaluating the effectiveness of critical area ordinances in growth management planning. He has worked as a middle-school teacher in Oregon, and as a health and environmental policy analyst for the New York State governor’s office.

Professor Shandas’ contact information:
Office: Urban Center, room 370
Phone: 503-725-5222
E-mail: vshandas@pdx.edu
Website: web.pdx.edu/~vshandas/