Lawrence D. Frank

Dr. Frank specializes in the interaction between land use, travel behavior, air quality and health; and in the energy use and climate change impacts of urban form policies. He is a “walkability pioneer” and was among the very first to quantify connections between built environment, active transportation, and health. He coined the term “walkability” in the early 90’s and his work led to WalkScore and has been cited over 50,000 times. He has been listed in Thompson and Reuter’s top 1% in the social sciences since 2014. He is the #1 top ranked planning academic in North America according to a recent Google Scholar ranking. Dr. Frank has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and co-authored Heath and Community Design and Urban Sprawl and Public Health mapping out the field emerging at the nexus between built and natural environments and health. Dr. Frank has led over $20 million in primary research and consults with government agencies, NGOs, and decision makers supporting their ability to predict travel, GHG, chronic disease, and economic impacts of land use and transportation policies.  

• Ph.D., Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, 1993
• M.S., Civil Engineering Transportation Studies, University of Washington, 1990
• B.LA., Landscape Architecture, University of Arizona, 1985

Curriculum vitae