Dr. Dawn Jourdan

University of Maryland / Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

Dr. Dawn Jourdan is an academic with wide experience in the fields of urban planning and law. She currently serves as the Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at the University of Maryland, and previously held the position of the Executive Associate Dean for the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University.Dr. Dawn has also held positions as a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M, as well as the Director of the Division of Regional and City Planning at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Dawn Jourdan is highly regarded for her interdisciplinary research, which focuses on the intersection of urban planning and law. She has published extensively on topics such as land use law, growth management, affordable housing, planning history and theory. Her book, co-authored with Eric Strauss, titled “Planning for Wicked Problems: A Planner’s Guide to Land Use Law,” is widely used to train undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in urban planning.

Dawn’s research on on-premise sign regulation is particularly noteworthy. She was part of an interdisciplinary group of scholars who developed a model sign code for the International Sign Association (ISA). Dawn founded the Academic Advisory Council for Signage Research and Education and edited the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding. She currently serves as the chair of the Planners Outreach Subcommittee for ISA.

Dr. Dawn Jourdan has a joint degree from the University of Kansas in law and urban planning, a doctorate in urban and regional planning from Florida State University, and a B.S. in social services and theatre arts from Bradley University.
Numerous academic publications, including the Journal of Real Estate Research, International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, and Journal of Law and Public Policy, have published her research.

Overall, Dr. Dawn Jourdan is an excellent addition to our jury due to her vast experience and interdisciplinary perspective. Her knowledge of the laws governing aesthetics control, historic preservation, and land use will surely be helpful to our conversations and decision-making.