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Jason Knight

Jason Knight

Jason Knight AICP, is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant and doctoral student in the Department of Geography. He received his MUP from UB in 2002 and recently returned to UB after five years in the private sector where he earned his certification with the American Institute of Certified Planners, as well as became a LEED Accredited Professional and a Certified Charrette Manager by the National Charrette Institute.

As a professional in Western New York, Mr. Knight witnessed the process of suburban and exurban land conversion and growth that is so often present in areas lacking regional land use control and growth management. The development of new housing units in a region with declining population and an increase in vacant housing left him questioning the need for this inefficient and uncoordinated land conversion process and spurred his return to UB.

His professional background in land use planning and academic interest social space, has resulted in a varied research agenda that includes the socio-spatial outcomes of land use, growth controls and redevelopment, specifically related to gentrification and segregation; sustainable growth and development; housing market allocation; and whether popular movements in planning such as New Urbanism and Smart Growth can achieve socially equitable outcomes.