Patrick Lamson-Hall

Urban Planning and Economic Development

Patrick is an urban planner and policy expert who advises clients around the world on a range of issues, including economic development, transportation, land use, housing, public service delivery, and feasibility studies. Most recently, he has developed strategies for stabilizing Libya through its cities; helped the government of Ethiopia prepare long-term plans for 18 of its cities in partnership with the Cities Alliance; conducted assessments of the quantity and quality of urban growth for the governments of Colombia, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic; and measured access to public open space in a global sample of cities in preparation for monitoring a portion of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11.

In addition to advising Politas clients, he serves as a research scholar at the New York University (NYU) Urban Expansion Program at the Marron Institute and Stern School of Business. Past projects include the Atlas of Urban Expansion: 2016 Edition, created in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and UN Habitat. The Atlas studied the characteristics of growth in a global sample of 200 cities and a historical sample of 30 cities, using an innovative technique for satellite imagery analysis. In the course of that project, Patrick worked to establish the India Urban Expansion Observatory, a research facility created in partnership with the IDFC Foundation and housed at Mahatma Education Society in Navi Mumbai. Patrick also worked on the New York Densities Project, which used historical maps of built-up area and historical census data to produce an interactive display of the growth of New York and the change in population density over the 400-year history of the city. It is currently on display as part of the permanent exhibit at the MCNY.

Patrick’s work is oriented toward equality, prosperity, and sustainability. He believes that properly designed and managed cities can raise millions of people out of poverty and are critical to addressing issues of climate change and sustainability.

Areas of Expertise: urban planning, economic development, sustainability and resilience, transportation, urbanization, housing, and project feasibility.

Organizations Assisted: Rockefeller Foundation, UN Habitat, CAF, Cities Alliance, Inter-American Development Bank

Countries Assisted: India (Mumbai), United States (New York), Ethiopia, South Africa (Cape Town), Grenada, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines

Previous / Other Positions: Research Scholar, NYU Urbanization Project; Adjunct Professor, New York University; Project Coordinator of Climate Resilient Cities: Grenada, India Urban Expansion Observatory, Ethiopia Urban Expansion Initiative

Education: Master of Urban Planning, New York University; PhD Candidate - Public Administration, New York University (expected May 2021).

Languages: English (native); Spanish (intermediate)