UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Devin Lavigne, a nationally recognized urban planning professional with over 20 years With experience in the fields of urban planning, geodesign and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), he has joined the Penn State faculty to teach an online graduate study of geodesign that focuses on solving problems on an urban scale. The course is offered through the Penn State World Campus and is available to students pursuing a Master's of Professional Studies in Geodesign.
Lavigne is a co-founder of Houseal Lavigne Associates, a Chicago-based planning and design firm. The firm specializes in community planning, urban design, and economic development, and uses creativity and collaboration to deliver quality solutions.
The award-winning company enabled Lavigne to direct more than 150 planning projects across the country, and the company was recognized by the American Planning Association with the National Award of Excellence. The projects have received several awards in the categories of education, innovation, comprehensive planning, strategic planning and execution.
In addition to the multitude of awards obtained by Houseal Lavigne, he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Fellowship College for his innovation in urban planning. The AICP Fellow is one of the highest honors in the planning and design profession. Lavigne was recognized with this honor for his leadership in community engagement, mentoring for young planners, innovative planning tools and solutions, and years of earning accolades for his innovative techniques.
In 2008, Lavigne launched a map-based tool called "map.social," which is a platform that encourages community engagement by allowing the public to comment on their thoughts and ideas on a dynamic community map. Lavigne partnered with Esri, the world's leading GIS software developer, to promote the tool now used by businesses across the country. Lavigne was first invited to speak at the Esri Geodesign Summit in 2015, where he shared his company's innovation and use of GIS, and is now an annual speaker at the summit.
Lavigne has taught GIS and urban planning to graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the University of Chicago at Chicago. He also created Planning Prep, a free resource that provides study materials for the AICP exam.
In addition, it instructs planners across the country to help them obtain AICP certification.
"Devin is going to be an exciting addition to our geodesign ranks with his extensive planning and design experience," said Kelleann Foster, director of the online geodesign graduate program and professor of landscape architecture at the Stuckeman School. "He is known and respected nationally for his innovation in geodesign for planning in both small and large cities."
Lavigne attended Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he earned a BA from the School of Urban and Regional Planning.
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