Mary M. Edwards

Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997

Mary Edwards teaches courses in planning methods, statistics, state and local finance and general introductory city planning courses for undergraduate planning majors. Her research interests are varied and focus on a range of planning and policy issues. Primary research interests are in land use planning and policy, development impact analysis, state and local finance and intergovernmental relations. A series of past and current research projects focus on the costs of development in communities and the methods of fiscal impact analysis.

Her previous positions have included work in the public, private and non-profit communities. In her position as a community planner in Madison Wisconsin, her work included the development of comprehensive plans, downtown redevelopment and street scape plans, neighborhood plans and development impact analyses. Prior to that position, as the Program Manager for the Wisconsin Land Use Research Program (WLURP), she was responsible for the development of a Community Guide to Development Impact Analysis for communities in Wisconsin to assist them in land use planning and decision making. The Guide assists communities in examining the fiscal, environmental, socio-economic and traffic impacts of development.

Professor Edwards received a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specialization in fiscal planning and public policy analysis. She also holds a Master’s degree in economics with a specialization in public sector economics and a Master’s degree in urban planning and policy. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Contact Information
Room 312
Temple Buell Hall
611 Lorado Taft Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217.333.3211
Fax: 217.244.1717
E-mail: mmedward@illinois.edu

Current Research Areas

Primary research interests are in the areas of land use planning and policy, comprehensive planning, state and local finance and intergovernmental relations, with a particular emphasis on the impacts of various development patterns and the broad effects of growth on communities.

Selected Publications

Edwards, Mary M. and Jack R. Huddleston. (forthcoming 2010) Prospects and Perils of Fiscal Impact Analysis. Journal of the American Planning Association.

Edwards, Mary M. and Yu Xiao. 2009. Annexation, Local Government Spending and the Complicating Role of Density. Urban Affairs Review 45 (2): 147-165.

Edwards, Mary M. 2008. Understanding the Complexities of Annexation. Journal of Planning Literature 23(2): 119-135.

Edwards, Mary M. 2007. Public Finance in Planning Education and Practice. Journal of Planning Education and Research 27 (2): 217-27.

Edwards, Mary M., and A Haines. 2007. Evaluating Smart Growth: Implications for Small Communities. Journal of Planning Education and Research 27 (1): 49-64.

Edwards, Mary M. and Laura Lawson. 2005. The Evolution of Planning in East St. Louis. Journal of Planning History 4(4): 356-382.

Edwards, Mary. 2001. Fiscal Impact Analysis: Does Method Matter? Journal of the Community Development Society 32, 1.

Edwards, Mary and Douglas Jackson-Smith. 2001. The Cost of Community Services in Three Wisconsin Communities. Journal of the Community Development Society 32, 2.

Edwards, Mary M. 2000. Annexation: A Winner Take All Process? State and Local Government Review 31, 3: 221-231.

Edwards, Mary. 1998. Annexation: Fiscal Implications for Municipalities. The Municipality 93,4: 120-121.

Edwards, Mary and Norman Walzer. 1986. Revenue Raising Capacity of Illinois Cities. Illinois Municipal Review 65, 4: 17-20.