Congratulations to 2011 Ph.D. alumna and Smart Growth Center affiliate Rebecca Lewis for receiving the Barclay Gibbs Jones Award for Best Dissertation in Planning from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning! Rebecca was presented the award--which recognizes her for writing this year best dissertation in planning in the nation--yesterday at their conference in Cincinnati.

Dissertation on Smart Growth in Maryland Recognized as Best in the Nation

Maryland alumna and smart growth center affiliate Rebecca Lewis (Master of Public Policy ’08, Ph.D. Urban and Regional Planning and Design ’11) is this year’s recipient of the Barclay Gibbs Jones Award for Best Dissertation in Planning from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). Her 2011 dissertation, which examined the effectiveness of smart growth instruments in Maryland, was selected among a bevy of doctoral thesis entries nation-wide. Award Committee Chair William Goldsmith recognized Lewis this week at the ACSP conference in Cincinnati, OH.

I am humbled and honored to receive the Barclay Gibbs Jones dissertation award for the Best Dissertation in Planning,” said Lewis. “The data and collaborative research environment offered by the National Center for Smart Growth, financial support from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and particularly, the direction and support from my advisor, Gerrit Knaap, enabled me to achieve this great honor."

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning promotes planning education, research, service and outreach in the United States and worldwide through institutional collaboration and community outreach. The Barclay Gibbs Jones Award recognizes theses that address pertinent issues faced by government and planning agencies and that also provide guidance on decision-making. This year’s award committee consisted of distinguished professionals in a variety of planning facets, including city, regional and federal planners.

Lewis’ dissertation, entitled “Do Smart Growth Instruments in Maryland Make a Difference?” examined the effectiveness of three smart growth instruments used by the state of Maryland to manage growth and allocation of resources for appropriate development, preservation and revitalization. In addition to presenting her findings, Lewis suggests ways Maryland can better integrate state programs with local planning statutes to improve instrument implementation and performance. Two papers from Lewis’ dissertation have been published in the premiere planning journal, The Journal of the American Planning Association and a third is forthcoming in Regional Science, Practice and Policy. In addition, Lewis was named a C. Lowell Harriss Dissertation Fellow by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in 2010.