Joseph Schillingis a senior policy and research associate in the Research to Action Lab and Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute. State and local governments serve as the primary platforms for his applied research, policy translaion, and technical assistance work that helps cross-sector leaders adapt and transfer innovative policies and practices. Before coming to Urban, Schilling worked as a municipal attorney, a California legislative fellow, the director of community and economic development for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and a research professor of urban planning for Virginia Tech. Schilling's sustainability expertise includes research on HUD's Sustainable Communities Initiative and authoring a seminal American Planning Association article, "Greening the Rust Belt." While at Virginia Tech, he also led the initial design and development of Alexandria, Virginia's Eco City Charter and Initiative. In 2010, Schilling founded the Vacant Property Research Network, a hub for policy and research translation related to regenerating legacy cities. Read More Read Less