Core Faculty

Bev Wilson

Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2009


Professor Wilson's interests lie primarily in the areas of growth management, sustainable urban form, and rural livability. His research focuses on the linkages between land use and environmental planning policy, development patterns, and both environmental and social outcomes. Recent research efforts include a comparative evaluation of residential development patterns in Charlotte, NC and Portland, OR; a statistical model of the spatial and temporal spillover effects of large residential subdivisions; and an examination of the determinants of electricity consumption in manufactured housing units in addition to trends in usage over time. The use of GIS and spatial analysis techniques to inform better planning and decision-making is a key thread linking his research and teaching.

Professor Wilson teaches Urban History and Theory (UP 504), part of the core curriculum and a requirement for incoming Master's students. He also teaches Advanced Applications of GIS (UP 519), which builds on basic concepts and principles of GIS with a particular emphasis on the urban context; theory and tools of spatial analysis; and hands-on exposure to software using real-world data. He is also currently collaborating on a GIS textbook aimed at urban planning students that will provide an introduction to the software and offer a series of exercises that can be used in the classroom. Professor Wilson also teaches Chicago: Planning and Urban Life (UP 204), an undergraduate course the provides an inroduction to urban planning and uses Chicago as a semester-long case study.

Wilson received his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2009. He also holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from Duke University. Prior to returning to UNC-Chapel Hill for his doctoral studies, he worked as a Spatial Analyst with the NOAA Coastal Services Center's Coastal Remote Sensing Program in Charleston, SC.

Contact Information
Room 224 Temple Buell Hall
611 Taft Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217.244.1761
Fax: 217.244.1717
E-mail: bevwilso@illinois.edu

Current Research Areas

Professor Wilson's current research focuses on the linkages between land use and environmental planning policy, development patterns, and both environmental and social outcomes. He is also interested in the livability and long-term viability of rural communities, particularly in the role of planning in successfully meeting the many challenges facing these areas.

He is currently focused on a research project that examines the relationship between urban form, site design characteristics, and residential energy consumption across three regions of Illinois. A combination of survey data collection and spatial data analysis for selected neighborhoods in the Adams, Champaign, and Macon counties will be used to model these linkages and to test how robust they are to changes in geographic location.

Selected Publications

Wilson, B. Forthcoming. "An examination of electricity consumption patterns in manufactured housing units." Housing Policy Debate.

Wilson, B. and Y. Song. 2011. "Do large residential subdivisions induce further development? A spatially explicit hazard analysis of land use change." Journal of the American Planning Association. 77 (1): 5-22.

Wilson, B. and Y. Song. 2009. "Comparing apples with apples: how different are recent residential development patterns in Portland and Charlotte?" Journal of Urbanism. 2 (1): 51-74.

Leaman, S.H., N.H. Oberlies, B. Wilson, and D. Jones. 2008. "Potential for expansion of the plant biotechnology sector in Northeastern North Carolina." RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Report prepared for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the Northeastern North Carolina Regional Economic Development Commission.

Powell, M.B., P. Hervey, B. Wilson, D. Salvesen, and D. Godschalk. 2003. "The impacts of growth and sprawl in North Carolina." Center for Urban and Regional Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Report prepared for the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center.

In Progress

Wilson, B. "Urban form, site design, and residential electricity consumption: evidence from across Illinois." In Progress.

Wilson, B. and P. Voss. "Property values and gentrification in Charlotte and Columbus: a comparative analysis." In Progress.

Bev Wilson