Acclaimed urbanist Alain Bertaud joins Mercatus Center’s Urbanity Project

ARLINGTON, VA — The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to announce the addition of renowned urbanist Alain Bertaud as a distinguished visiting scholar. Bertaud joins the Mercatus Center’s Urbanity Project, where his research will aim to bridge the gap between operational urban planning and urban economics.

“I’m pleased to join the Mercatus Center and contribute to the important work coming from the Urbanity Project,” said Bertaud. “As cities across the world grow and change, Mercatus’ perspective–exploring the relationship between markets and land use–will become increasingly vital.”

Before joining the Mercatus Center, Bertaud was a resident urban planner in cities around the world, including New York City; Paris; Bangkok; San Salvador, El Salvador; Port au Prince, Haiti; Sana’a, Yemen; and Tlemcen, Algeria. From 1980 to 1999, Bertaud was principal urban planner at the World Bank. His 2018 book, “Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities,” was translated into Portuguese and Chinese. Bertaud is a fellow at New York University’s Marron Institute.

“We’re thrilled to bring Alain and his wealth of knowledge and experience to the growing Urbanity Project at Mercatus,” said Salim Furth, a senior research fellow and co-director of the initiative. “His expertise will greatly strengthen the research and global reach of this crucial area of work.”

The Mercatus Center’s Urbanity Project researches how land-use policy reform promotes growth and opportunity in cities while addressing the systemic problem of housing affordability.

For additional information or to request an interview, please contact Media Relations Manager Brad Lake at [email protected].