Catherine Ross

Deputy Director

Megaregions, quality growth, land development, healthy places, community design and architecture, air quality and natural environment.

City and Regional Planning

Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development:
http://www.cqgrd.gatech.edu/

Bio

Dr. Catherine L. Ross, nationally recognized transportation expert, is the Director of Georgia Tech's Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD). Ross is also the college's first endowed faculty member - the Harry West Chair for Quality Growth and Regional Development. Ross is no stranger to Georgia Tech, where she first in 1976 was an assistant professor in the Graduate City Planning Program, associate professor in 1984, then a full professor in 1990. She has held a variety of important leadership positions at Georgia Tech, including vice provost for academic affairs, associate vice president for academic affairs, co-director of the Transportation Research and Education Center, and director of the College of Architecture 's Ph.D. program.

Previously, Ross was the first executive director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). This innovative regional state agency was created by the Georgia Legislature in 1999. GRTA was created to help 13 counties out-of-compliance with clean air standards develop new transportation plans and initiatives to help them meet or exceed federal requirements. GRTA encompasses a new paradigm representing a more comprehensive approach to regional planning

In addition to teaching at Georgia Tech and her leadership of GRTA, Ross founded a consulting company that has conducted research for numerous government transportation agencies. She has published extensively in the fields of urban planning, transportation planning, and public participation.

At the national level, Ross previously served on the Executive Committee as a senior policy adviser to the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board. She also is past president of the National Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning and served on the Board of Directors for the ENO Transportation Foundation. Locally Ross serves on several boards/committees including the ULI - District Council Steering Committee, Metro Atlanta Quality Growth Task Force, Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ferst Center Advisory Board, High Museum of Art (Education Department Board Committee), and Westminster Strategic Plan Committee. She is a past board member of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

Ross earned a bachelor's degree from Kent State University in 1971, followed by a master's degree in regional planning from Cornell University in 1973. She earned her doctorate in city and regional planning from Cornell in 1979 and did post-doctorate work at the University of California, Berkeley.

Ross lives in northwest Atlanta with her husband. Their son and daughter are away at college.

Recent Publications

 


BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS


  • Ross, Catherine L., "Megaregions: Planning for Global Competitiveness" Washington DC: Island Press, 2009.
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. and Amy K. Danner. 2010. "Beyond the Metropolis: Megaregions and the Global Economy." Building Metropolitan Atlanta: Past, Present, and Future. Atlanta Chapter for the Congress for New Urbanism: April 2010, pp 21-22.
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. and Michelle J. Marcus. 2010. "Calculating for Health: The Atlanta BeltLine Health Impact Assessment and Study." Building Metropolitan Atlanta: Past, Present, and Future. Atlanta Chapter for the Congress for New Urbanism: April 2010, pp 68-70.
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. and Myungje Woo. "Identifying Megaregions in the US: Implications for Infrastructure Investment." In Catherine L. Ross (Ed.), Megaregions: Planning for Global Competitiveness (Island Press, 2009). pp 53-80.
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. and Jessica L.H. Doyle. "The Megaregion and the Future of American Planning." In Catherine L. Ross (Ed.), Megaregions: Planning for Global Competitiveness (Island Press, 2009). Pp 280-287.
     

  • Ross, Catherine L., Jason Barringer, and Adjo A. Amekudzi. "Mobility in the Megaregion." In Catherine L. Ross (Ed.), Megaregions: Planning for Global Competitiveness (Island Press, 2009). Pp 140-165.
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. and Michelle Marcus. "Roadways and Health: Making the Case for Collaboration." In Shireen Malekafzali (Ed.), Healthy, Equitable Transportation Policy: Recommendations and Research (PolicyLink, Prevention Institute, Convergence Partnership, 2009).
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. "Regional Transportation and Development in Atlanta." In Hack, Gary, Eugénie Birch, Paul Sedway, and Mitchell Silver (Eds.) Local Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice (Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association, 2009).
     

  • Ross, Catherine L. and Nancy Green Leigh. "Planning, Urban Revitalization and the Inner City: An Exploration of Structural Racism." In Birch, Eugénie (Ed.), The Urban and Regional Planning Reader (London: Routledge Urban Series, 2009).
     


JOURNAL ARTICLES


  • Barrella, Elise, Adjo Amekudzi, Michael D. Meyer, Catherine L.Ross and Diane Turchetta, "Best Practices and Common Approaches for Considering Sustainability at U.S. State Departments of Transportation" Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, [accepted for publication].
     

  • Pei, Yi Lin, Adjo A. Amekudzi, Michael D. Meyer, Elise M. Barrella, Catherine L. Ross, "Performance Measurement Frameworks and the Development of Effective Sustainable Transport Strategies and Indicators" Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, [accepted for publication].
     

  • Morallos, D.; Amekudzi, A.; Ross, C., and M. Meyer. "Value for Money Analysis in U.S. Transportation Public-Private Partnerships" Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Vol. 2115, 2009, pp. 27-36.
     

  • Bodea, Tudor D., Laurie Garrow, Michael D. Meyer, and Catherine L.Ross, "Socio-demographic and built environment influences on the odds of being overweight or obese: The Atlanta experience" Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Volume 43, Issue 4, May 2009, Pages 430-444.
     

  • Bodea, Tudor D., Laurie Garrow, Michael D. Meyer, and Catherine L.Ross, "Explaining Obesity With Urban Form: A Cautionary Tale." Transportation, Volume 35, Issue 2 , March 2008, Pages 179-199.
     

  • Amekudzi, Adjo, Linda Thomas-Mobley and Catherine Ross "Transportation Planning and Infrastructure Delivery in Major and Megacities". Transportation Research Board: Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1997, pp. 17-23, 2007.
     

  • Realff , Matthew J., Steven P. French, Berdinus A. Bras, Catherine L. Ross, Nancey Green Leigh, and Ning Ai, "Modeling Obsolete Computer Stock Under Regional Data Constraints: An Atlanta Case Study", Conservation and Recycling, Volume 51, Issue 4, October 2007, Pages 847-869
     

Recent Presentations

Presenter: "The Health Impact Assessment of the Atlanta Beltline",Hands-On Atlanta, Martin Luther King birthday, Atlanta, GA, (January 15, 2008)

Presenter: Birmingham Planning Department Annual Meeting, Planning in the Southeast,, Alabama, (January 30, 2008)

Interviewee: "MegaRegions", Georgia Weekly, GPB Television, Atlanta, GA, (February 10, 2008)

Host: International Exchange & Cooperation event with Shenyang Jianzhu University, China (February 12, 2008)

Presenter: "Emerging Megaregions: Investigating the Character of Social Equity", Regional Equity: The Third National Summit on Equity, Diversity and Social Justice, Policy Link, New Orleans, Louisiana, (March 5, 2008)

Presenter: "Planning for the Future: The Future of Planning", Sister Cities Forum - Public Transit and Green Space Policies, Atlanta, GA (March 12, 2008)

Panelist: "A Healthy Perspective on Transportation: new tools and new partners for better transportation planning", American Planning Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV (April 28, 2008)

Presenter: "Megaregions", WTS Annual Conference (May 14, 2008)

Presenter: "Megaregions", Joint Meeting of AASHTO SCOP-SCOFA, Santa Fe, NM (June 9, 2008)

Co-Presenter: "Identifying Megaregions in the US: Implications for Infrastructure Investment" and "Placing the Megaregion in a Global Context," 2008 Joint Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP)-Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) Conference. Chicago, Illinois. (July 2008)

Interviewee: "Q&A with Dr. Catherine L. Ross: Shrinking Footprint of American Home Offers Greater Potential for Multifamily Developers", Multi-Housing News (July 24, 2008)

Interviewee: "Planning Without Borders", Georgia Trend Magazine (August 2008)

Presenter: "Achieving Excellence Through Innovation", Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 2008 Supervision and Regulation Staff Conference, Atlanta, GA (October 2008)

Co-Presenter: "Megaregion Mobility and Accessibility: A Comparative perspective," Symposium on Megaregions and Spatial Planning: An International Perspective, Beijing, China (October 2008)

Presenter: "Roadways and Health", Transportation 101, Washington, DC (November 12-14, 2008)

Interviewee, "Global Implications of our Growing Megaregion", Atlanta Business Chronicle, (November 21-27, 2008)

Presenter: "Infrastructure and Sustainability: Competing in the Global Economy", 2009 UCEA Workforce Development Forum (January 9, 2009)

Presenter: "Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion", Megaregions Luncheon, Atlanta Regional Commission (January 26, 2009)

Panelist: "In the Trenches: Lessons from the Experts", Changing Landscapes: Building the Good Growth State? Institute for Emerging Issues, North Carolina State University (February 9-10, 2009)

Presenter: "Movement and Access", De Lange Conference VII - Transforming the Metropolis : Creating Sustainable and Humane Cities, Rice University. (March 2-4, 2009)

Facilitator/Organizer: Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion University Consortium, Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (March 23, 2009)

Speaker/Organizer: The Case for a National Infrastructure Policy: The Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion in the Global Economy. Georgia Institute of Technology (March 23, 2009)

Presenter: "The Megaregion Challenge", 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Transportation Programs at Texas Southern University (April 7, 2009)

Presenter: "Emerging Megaregions: Implications for Future Developments", 2009 ULI Spring Council Forum: The Road Ahead (April 22-24, 2009)

Presenter: "Urban/Rural Collaborations - Building Successful Workforce and Economic Development Partnerships Based on Strengths and Mutual Interests", Southeast Workforce and Economic Development Conference (May 3, 2009)

Panelist: Sustainability and Historic Preservation Thought Leader Discussion Series, Trust for Architectural Easements and Island Press (May 18, 2009)

Presenter: Megaregion Planning Conference. Dallas, TX (June 5-7, 2009)

Participant: White House Office of Urban Affairs and the Domestic Policy Council urban policy roundtable. Washington DC (July 13, 2009)

Discussant: "Maximizing Opportunity in the Marketplace For Freight: Strengthening Economic Competitiveness Through Regional Partnerships and Cooperation". Transportation Research Board 2009 Joint Summer Meeting. Seattle, WA. (July 19-22, 2009)

Speaker/Organizer: Mayors' Megaregion Meeting. Charlotte, NC. (August, 2009)

Panelist: "The new Federal paradigm - Linking transportation, land use and housing". Atlanta Regional Housing Forum Q3 Meeting. Atlanta, GA. (September 2, 2009)

Presenter: "Health and Roadways". Atlanta Development Authority. (September 17, 2009)

Keynote Speaker: "Megaregions in the southeastern U.S." Tennessee Chapter - American Planning Association Annual Conference, Chattanooga, TN. (September 23-25, 2009)

Interviewee: WUTC Around and About, Chattanooga, TN. (September 25, 2009)

Interviewee: "Annexation helps cities manage growth, expert says" and "Planner says VW will cause big change." Chattanooga Times Free Press. (September 26, 2009)

Plenary Speaker: "Plenary 2: Environmental Health in All Policies - Transportation and land use policy, environment, and health." 2009 National Environmental Public Health Conference, Atlanta, GA. (October 26, 2009)

Keynote Speaker: "Sustainable Development: The Regional Industrial Ecosystem." Responsible Technologies Summit, Atlanta, GA. (Nov 9-10, 2009)

Speaker/Organizer: Mayor's Megaregion Meeting: Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion - Part 2. Greenville, SC. (November 17-18, 2009)

Invitee: White House Holiday Party. Washington, DC. (December 15, 2009)

Presenter: Mega-regions: 21st Century Way of Understanding 21st Century Issues. Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (January 10-14, 2010)

Feature Interviewee: "Forecast: Megaregions Transportation expert and urban planner Catherine Ross foresees a future in which our cities and built landscapes are interconnected and interdependent," Builder TV (January 14, 2010)

Interviewee: "œLast Word", Builder Magazine (January, 2010)

Presenter/Facilitator: "Ross on Megaregions", School of City and Regional Planning Book Series, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (January 27, 2010)

Judge: The Federal Highway Administration's & Federal Transit Administration's 2010 Transportation Planning Excellence Awards. (February-May, 2010)

Interviewee: "The big picture: San Diego and megaregions", San Diego Union-Tribune (February 28, 2010)

Presenter: Downtown Livability Forum. Sponsored by Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell and Central Atlanta Progress. Atlanta, GA (March 2, 2010)

Participant: White House Clean Energy Forum (March 3, 2010)

Presenter: "Understanding Federal Policy for Developers", Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta Forum (March 7, 2010)

Speaker/Organizer: Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth. Macon, GA (March 10-11, 2010)

Recipient: CHOZEN Awards Women's History Honoree. Public choice award for being a trailblazer in education, urban planning/community development and business. (March 24, 2010)

Keynote Speaker: "Megaregions and Transportation," 2010 Transportation and University Communities Conference, American Public Transportation Association. Athens, GA (April 10-13, 2010)

Interviewee: "Sustainable Cities" (podcast). Wall Street Journal (April 17, 2010)

Presenter: "City Planning and New Urbanism - A Sustainable Position," ETH Forum Wohungsbau, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Zürich (April 22, 2010)

Keynote Speaker: "Megaregions: A Framework for Planning in the 21st Century," 21st Annual Transportation Research Conference, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota (April 27-28, 2010)

Evening Plenary Speaker. 2010 Delaware-Maryland APA Regional Conference: Creating Liveable Communities For All Ages: From Theory To Reality. Dover, DE (May 6, 2010)

Afternoon Plenary Speaker: CNU18 Conference: Vision California: Climate Change Metrics and Mandates for Healthy Regions. Atlanta, GA (May 20, 2010)

Presenter: "The Place is the Context," CNU 18 Conference Congress for New Urbanism 18th Annual: Rx for Healthy Places, Atlanta, GA (May 21, 2010)

Presenter: "Sustainability: From Theory to Reality," Forestar Sustainability Summit, San Antonio, TX (May 26, 2010)

Presenter: "Sustainable Planning Challenges: Rapid Urbanization, Global Recession and Climate Change," 9th Symposium of the International Urban Planning & Environment Association (UPE9) Conference, Guangzhou, China (August 3-6, 2010)

Moderator: "Health in all Policies: Integrating Health Impact Assessment in US Policy," CDC Using Law, Policy and Research to Improve the Public's Health: A National Conference, Atlanta, GA (September 13, 2010)

Moderator: GT2035: A Diverse and Inclusive Community, Atlanta, GA (September 17, 2010)

Keynote Speaker: "Sustainability: From Theory to Reality" - Pathways to Urban Sustainability: Lessons from the Atlanta Metropolitan Region- A NAS Workshop, Atlanta, GA (September 30, 2010)

Keynote Speaker: "Megaregions: Innovation and Planning in a Global Economy," - Resurgent Washington Implementing Smart And Healthy Growth (October 6, 2010)