T. WILLIAM LESTER

Curriculum Vitae

blester@berkeley.edu

 

 

Education

 

Doctoral Candidate, Urban and Regional Development Field (entered Fall 2004)

Department of City and Regional Planning

University of California, Berkeley

 

Master of Urban Planning and Policy, May 2001.

University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs

 

Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, May 1999

University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts and Sciences, Philadelphia, PA

 

Work Experience

        

Institute for Urban and Regional Development (IURD). Graduate Student Researcher (2004-2005) for Dr. Karen Chapple, University of California, Berkeley. Project Description: “Building Successful Regions” Phase I research funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

 

ICF Consulting, Inc., Associate (part-time). (Nov. 2005-)

Project: San Francisco Economic Strategy Project (Proposition I)

Supervisor: Dr. Ted Egan

 

Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley. Graduate Student Instructor (Fall 2005 and 2004). Course Title: “Methods of Planning Data Analysis” Supervisors: Dr. Robert Cervero, Dr. Karen Chapple, Dr. John Landis.

 

Center for Labor Research and Education, University of California, Berkeley. Graduate Student Researcher. Project Description: “Is There a Wal-Mart Effect in Regional Labor Markets?”
Supervisor: Dr. Arin Dube

 

Center for Regional Employment Strategies (CRES), Research Analyst, (Dec. 2002-May 2004)

Research center affiliated with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO

Supervisor: Goetz Wolff

 

University of Illinois at Chicago, Center for Urban Economic Development, Economic Development Planner, (June 2001-Dec. 2002),
Supervisor: Dr. Nik Theodore

 

City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development, Neighborhoods Division, Central Area, Intern. (May-November 2000),
Supervisor: Alicia Mazur-Berg

 

Woodstock Institute, Chicago, IL, Research Intern (Summer 1998), Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Immergluck

 

Publications

“Impact of Wal-Mart Growth on Earnings throughout the Retail Sector in Urban and Rural Counties” with Arin Dube and Barry Eidlin Institute for Industrial Relations Working Paper Series, October 2005

 

“Rising Income Inequality and the Changing Economic Geography of U.S. Metropolitan Areas in the 1990s: Do Regional Institutions Make a Difference?” with Karen Chapple (June 2005) Community Vitality Online White Paper Series, Michigan State University.

 

“Evolving Subcenters: Employment and Population Density in Chicago, 1970-2020” with Daniel P. McMillen, Journal of Housing Economics, Spring 2003.

 

“Impact of Federal and State Expenditures on Residential Land Absorption in Metropolitan Chicago: A Quantitative Case Study” with Joseph Persky and Haydar Kurban, in Sprawl in Chicago: Public Policy and Private Decisions (2000) Wim Wiewel and Joseph Persky (eds.)

 

“Does the US have a Metropolitan Policy? A Case Study on the Fine Geography of Federal Spending in the Chicago Metropolitan Area” with Joseph Persky, Haydar Kurban, and Wim Wiewel, a short policy oriented survey requested by the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, Washington, (March 2000)

 

Papers Presented

 

“Is There a “Wal-Mart Effect? The Impact of Wal-Mart Growth on Earnings Throughout the Retail Sector” with Arindrajit Dube and Barry Eidlin, UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, American Sociological Association, August 13, 2005.

 

“Suburban Employment Subcenters and the Jobs-Affordable Housing Mismatch: A Detailed Description of the Policy Problem, 1990-2000” Presented at: Interpreting Neighborhood Change in Chicago, April 4, 2003, Chicago, IL

 

Research Experience

 

San Francisco Economic Strategy Project. Provided labor market and industry cluster analysis for Phase I of the Proposition I economic development planning process for the City of San Francisco. The plan produced by ICF Consulting will be the City’s first comprehensive economic development plan.

 

California Employment Development Department, Community Audit Project

Lead researcher for short periodic reports that highlight current employment trends in the Los Angeles county economy for a workforce development and labor union advocate audience. Additional reports focus in depth on changes in the Los Angeles labor market and key industry sectors.

 

Metropolis 2020 Regional Index Project, Chicago Metropolis 2020. Research design, project management, and data gathering for the creation of several indicators of progress towards regionally defined goals in areas of economic development, transportation, and education.

 

Chicago Affordable Housing Factbook, Chicago Rehab Network (CRN). Gathering and analyzing census and other local data relevant to monitoring changes in affordable housing market in the Chicago region. Development of a simultaneous paper and internet based product to disseminate data and short analytical papers to advocates, policy makers, and affordable housing funding agencies.

 

Employment Subcenter Identification, Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC). Utilized employment data at a fine geography to statistically identify sub-centers in the Chicago region and generate maps for publication in a regional planning document.

 

Economic Development Evaluation Model, City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development, Developed an Excel based cost-benefit model for planners to evaluate impacts of subsidized projects in Chicago and its seven neighborhood planning districts.

 

The Regional Analysis and Target Industry Identification Project, State of Illinois, Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, (Completed September, 2000) Developed the “Industry Targeting Analysis Application” in Excel that assists economic developers in selecting high impact industries in the State of Illinois.

 

University of Illinois at Chicago, Great Cities Institute, Chicago Metropolitan Case Study, Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, Fall 1999. –Data gathering and analysis for Joseph Persky.

 

Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Zell/Laurie Real Estate Center, Philadelphia Metropolitan Case Study, Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, Fall 1998-Summer 1999. -Data gathering and analysis for Dr. Anita Summers.

 

Awards, Honors, and Academic Service

 

       Department of City and Regional Planning, Departmental Fellowship, Spring 2006

      

       College of Environmental Design, Executive Committee Graduate Student Representative 2006

      

       Referee:

                Journal of Planning Education and Research

                Berkeley Planning Journal

 

       Department of City and Regional Planning, Doctoral Colloquium Organizer, Spring 2005-2006.        

       Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, Fall 2004

 

Berkeley Planning Journal, Business Manager, Vol 18.

 

Urban Planning and Policy Program, Masters Project entitled “Searching for Racial Integration in Chicago’s Neighborhoods- Evidence from Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Data from the 1990s.” selected by faculty as one of three best projects.

 

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Delta Chapter of Pennsylvania, (May 1999)

Norman Glickman Award for Best Urban Studies Senior Seminar Paper, (May 1999)