Dr. Philip Berke is a senior faculty member with expertise in land use and environmental planning.  The central
focus of his research seeks to explore the causes of land use decisions, how these decisions impact natural
systems, and the consequences of these impacts on human settlements.  His ultimate goal is to seek solutions
to complex urban development problems that help communities live within the limits of natural systems. 

Learn more about Dr. Berke's research and teaching


The following is a list of students currently supported by Dr. Berke:


Matt Boyer (Masters Student)
I am currently working FEMA Emergency Preparedness Demonstration Project to develop a Vulnerability Assessment
guide for communities.  This guide provides a concise process, accompanied by data organization and geographic
projection methods, for communities to identify vulnerable populations, identify likely hazards and anticipate effects
of vulnerable populations from identified man-made and natural hazards, such as hurricanes, floods and hazardous
material spills.  While this is designed to function as a completed product, it is also structured in a progressive
manner, allowing communities to complete this process from the beginning or whatever stage they are currently at.


Ward Lyles (Doctoral Student)
Currently in my first year at DCRP, I am considering as a dissertation topic how and why local governments are
planning to mitigate projected environmental risks from climate change and what outcomes those planning efforts
are producing.   Although climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions is widely recognized as major issue
before the planning field, little research has been done to directly investigate if, how, and with what success local
governments are planning for climate change risks.  This area of research closely relates to Dr. Berke’s work in
environmental and land use planning, especially as related to natural hazards and sustainability.  Another interest
I have related to Dr. Berke’s research is plan implementation – seeking to explain not just what makes a plan
a good plan or why a plan gets adopted, but also what drivers lead to specific outcomes from land use and
environmental management strategies.  Prior to matriculating at UNC-CH, I worked as Transportation Policy
Director at 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, a statewide non-profit working for land use and transportation policy reform.


Marta Nelson (Masters Student)
I am a first year masters student in city and regional planning, with a concentration in environmental planning
and land use.   I am working as part of a research team supported by a National Science Foundation.  My current
task is to collect demographic data for all counties in the United States.  The data will be analyzed for association
with the incidence of New Urbanism developments.  Prior to attending graduate school, I worked as a project
manager for an environmental non-profit organization in Chicago.  In that position, I organized a series of six
charrettes on the Chicago River, conducted independent site-plan reviews of river-edge developments, and
advocated for water quality improvements under the Clean Water Act.


Mark Stevens (Doctoral Student)
I am working on a National Science Foundation research project, The Effects of New Urban Developments Compared
to Conventional Low Density Developments on Natural Hazard Mitigation.  My major tasks center on conducting
on-site field evaluations of large-scale new urban development projects that are located in hazardous areas, data
collection based on a national sample of matched pairs of new urban and conventional developments located in
floodplains, multivariate data analysis, and preparation of reports.  In the summer of 2007, I traveled to five locations
in different regions of the United States to evaluate particular development projects and meet with local planning
government staff and developers.  I am now processing the information gathered from the site visits to enable a
cross-case analysis.  I am also writing a series of journal articles with Dr. Berke and Dr. Song that derive from
various aspects of the NSF project.


Ariel Yang (Masters Student)
My specialization is transportation, with interests in land use and equity issues.  I am working on the FEMA
Emergency Preparedness Demonstration (EPD) Project with a team consisting of Dr. Berke and Matt Boyer
at DCRP, CURS, and MDC.  I helped with the critique of the Vulnerability Assessment guide for communities.
My current work is to critique, research, brainstorm, and refine the Promising Practices.  The Promising Practices
is a compilation of principles and practices in the United States.  It includes public awareness and outreach,
community partnerships, and planning.  The example practices are selected based on the following criteria:
innovation, community-based, preparedness emphasis, and consistency with findings and concerns expressed
other literature.   Once the document is completed, we plan to make it available on the web for interested
local government or community organizations to alter the practices to meet the unique needs and priorities
of their communities.  I also plan to work on the evacuation planning section of the Promising Practices Manual.