Katharine Burgess

Katharine Burgess, AICP, currently serves as the Vice President for Land Use and Development at Smart Growth America. In this role, they lead the organization's land use and development portfolio, overseeing programs and sub-brands dedicated to promoting sustainable and equitable development. This includes advocacy, technical assistance, and thought leadership. Prior to their current position, Burgess worked at the Urban Land Institute as the Vice President for Urban Resilience. Katharine was responsible for leading the organization's Urban Resilience program, engaging real estate and land use practitioners on topics related to resilience and climate risk. Katharine also directed research, edited reports and publications, and managed staff and budgets. Burgess has further experience as a Fellow at the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program, where they specialized in urban planning. Additionally, they worked as a Program Manager at the Landscape Architecture Foundation, overseeing research programs. Burgess began their career as a Senior Consultant at Turnberry Consulting Limited, supporting various public and private sector clients in urban planning and design. Katharine also served as the Gulf Coast Project Coordinator at Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, leading urban design workshops and community outreach efforts in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. Burgess has a research background as a Florence Chandler Research Fellow at Williams College, where they conducted a project on architectural solutions for war-torn cities. Katharine started their professional journey as an intern at the DC Preservation League.

Katharine Burgess, AICP has a Master's degree in Regional and Urban Planning from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Katharine also holds a Bachelor's degree from Williams College, where they studied History and History of Art.