A university professor and a former deputy city manager are the recipients of the 2017 William R. and June Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning.
USC Professor Dowell Myers
Cal Poly Pomona's Department of Urban and Regional Planning recently announced that USC Professor Dowell Myers has won the Scholar Prize and Donald J. Waldie, the city of Lakewood's former deputy city manager, will receive the Practitioner Prize. They will be honored at events on Wednesday, Feb. 1 and Thursday, Feb. 2.
Myers, director of the Population Dynamics Research Group at The Sol Price School of Public Policy, is a demographer and urban planner who integrates quantitative evidence with interpretations of problems and policy solutions. His research looks at the links between demographic data (census, surveys, and projections) and future trends in housing, workforce, education, taxpaying, voting, and immigration. His recent focus is construction of narratives that promote greater public understanding about pressing issues that affect our common future. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from MIT.
Donald J. Waldie, former Lakewood deputy city manager
Besides his work in city government, Waldie is an American essayist, memoirist, translator, and editor. He is best known for his memoir "Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir." In the memoir, he detailed the historical, geographical, political, and cultural factors both preceding the development of Lakewood's 17,000 homes and following the city's incorporation in 1954. He also has written about Los Angeles' history, politics, and culture in his essay collection "Where We Are Now: Notes from Los Angeles" and the anthologies "Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape" and "California Romantica."
The urban and regional planning department will host the Dale Prize Colloquium on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at the Fox Theater in Pomona. The free event includes a reception at 6 p.m., a colloquium at 7 p.m. and a celebration of the department's 50th anniversary at 8:30 p.m.
The Dale Prize banquet is Thursday, Feb. 2 at the W.K. Kellogg House at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. Attendees must RSVP at urpdept@cpp.edu by Jan. 25.