Eric J. Strauss, PhD, is an emeritus professor of urban and regional planning in in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University. He was a former director of the URP program. Strauss 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. Strauss prepared many comprehensive plans and land use regulations at all levels of detail for many communities