Mary M. Edwards

Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997

Mary Edwards teaches courses in planning methods, statistics, state and local finance and general introductory city planning courses for undergraduate planning majors. Her research interests are varied and focus on a range of planning and policy issues. Primary research interests are in land use planning and policy, development impact analysis, state and local finance and intergovernmental relations. Her most recent project involves assessing smart growth comprehensive plans in Wisconsin. Future research in this area will examine actual implementation and outcomes of these plans.

A number of past and current research projects focus on the cost of development in communities. These include an examination of the fiscal impacts of annexation and the development of a series of cost of community services studies. A current project under the auspices of LEAM (Land Use Evolution and Impact Assessment Model) at the University of Illinois involves the development of a fiscal impact component of the land use model, which is designed to estimate the impacts of land use change.

Her previous positions have included work in the public, private and non-profit communities. In her position as a community planner in Madison Wisconsin, her work included the development of comprehensive plans, downtown redevelopment and street scape plans, neighborhood plans and development impact analyses. Prior to that position, as the Program Manager for the Wisconsin Land Use Research Program (WLURP), she was responsible for the development of a Community Guide to Development Impact Analysis for communities in Wisconsin to assist them in land use planning and decision making. The Guide assists communities in examining the fiscal, environmental, socio-economic and traffic impacts of development.

Professor Edwards received a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specialization in fiscal planning and public policy analysis. She also holds a Master’s degree in economics with a specialization in public sector economics and a Master’s degree in urban planning and policy. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Contact Information
Room 312
Temple Buell Hall
611 Taft Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217.333.3211
Fax: 217.244.1717
E-mail: mmedward@uiuc.edu

Current Research Areas

Primary research interests are in the areas of land use planning and policy, comprehensive planning, state and local finance and intergovernmental relations, with a particular emphasis on the impacts of various development patterns and the broad effects of growth on communities. Other interests include public participation processes and community development.

Selected Publications

Edwards, Mary M. 2007. Public Finance in Planning Education and Practice. Journal of Planning Education and Research 27 (2): 217-27.

Edwards, Mary M., and A Haines. 2007. Evaluating Smart Growth: Implications for Small Communities. Journal of Planning Education and Research 27 (1): 49-64.

Edwards, Mary M., and Anna Haines. 2003. Visioning as a Consensus Building Process (submitted and under revision for Journal of Planning Education and Research).

Edwards, Mary. 2003. Smart Growth in Wisconsin and the Quality of Local Plans (in progress).

Edwards, Mary. 2001. Fiscal Impact Analysis: Does Method Matter? Journal of the Community Development Society 32, 1.

Edwards, Mary and Douglas Jackson-Smith. 2001. The Cost of Community Services in Three Wisconsin Communities. Journal of the Community Development Society 32, 2.

Edwards, Mary M. 2000. Annexation: A Winner Take All Process? State and Local Government Review 31, 3: 221-231.

Edwards, Mary. 1998. Annexation: Fiscal Implications for Municipalities. The Municipality 93,4: 120-121.

Edwards, Mary and Brian Ohm. 1998. Annexation: Fiscal Implications for Cities, Villages and Towns. On Common Ground Winter, 2, 2: 29 -30.

Edwards, Mary and Norman Walzer. 1986. Revenue Raising Capacity of Illinois Cities. Illinois Municipal Review 65, 4: 17-20.