Robert E. Lang Robert E. Lang has made a strong mark as one of America’s pre-eminent experts on the many faces — urban, suburban and exurban — of physical and population growth across North America. Case in point — his recent book, Edgeless Cities: Exploring the Elusive Metropolis, examining the expansion of citistates far beyond the limits anyone even imagined in earlier times.On the institutional side, Long is Director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech in Alexandria, Virginia. He is also an Associate Professor in Virginia Tech’s graduate Urban Affairs and Planning program, where he teaches courses in metropolitan development. He serves as an Associate Editor of the scholarly journal Housing Policy Debate, which is published by the Fannie Mae Foundation. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Dr. Lang was Director of Urban and Metropolitan Research at the Fannie Mae Foundation in Washington, DC. Lang received a Ph.D. in Urban Sociology from Rutgers University, where he also taught sociology and urban studies as a Visiting Assistant Professor. He was a research associate at the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University and co-authored two Rutgers Regional Reports. His research specialties include demographic and spatial analysis, housing and the built environment, metropolitan governance and regulatory issues, and urban topics such as downtown development and gentrification. He has authored over 60 professional publications on a wide range of topics, and has developed many new urban planning concepts.

Lang’s research has been featured in the USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, US News and World Report and reported on by NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and ABC World News Tonight. He recently analyzed the 2000 Census as a consultant to the USA Today. His latest work includes the book Edgeless Cities: Exploring the Elusive Metropolis, which is published by the Brookings Institution Press. He is also co-author of an edited book entitled Redefining Urban and Suburban America: Evidence from Census 2000, and is currently working on a new book entitled Boomburbs: Inside America’s New Super Suburbs.

Speech Topics

Robert Lang’s speeches revolve around several compelling topic areas:

  • American Cities in a Globalizing World
  • Edgeless Cities
  • Redefining Urban and Suburban America, Evidence from Census 2000
  • From Wall Street to Your Street: New Finance and Design Solutions
  • Micropolitan America: A Brand New Geography
  • Meeting Affordable Housing Challenges

For a detailed listing, click here.

Last updated October 4, 2004