Eric J. Strauss, Ph.D., is an emeritus professor of urban and regional planning in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University. He was a former director of the URP program. He had more than 40 years of experience in planning practice in both the public and private sectors. He was a planner for federal and state governments, a city and county planning director, a city attorney, and a consultant to more than 50 organizations, both public and private, on a wide variety of planning-related issues. He prepared many comprehensive plans and land use regulations at all levels of detail for many communities.