Dawn Jourdan

Dr. Dawn Jourdan studies issues at the intersection of urban planning and law. Her book (with co-author Eric Strauss) Planning for Wicked Problems: A Planner’s Guide to Land Use Law, is used to train undergraduate and graduate students who pursue degrees in urban planning in applicable legal principles. An interdisciplinary scholar, Dawn was awarded the Harold Adams Interdisciplinary Professorship in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning by Texas A&M University.

Jourdan is well-known for her work in the field of on-premise sign regulation. With an interdisciplinary group of scholars, she crafted a model sign code for the International Sign Association (ISA). She founded the Academic Advisory Council for Signage Research and Education and served as the editor of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding. She currently serves as the chair of the Planners Outreach Subcommittee for ISA.

Dawn earned a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from Florida State University in 2004, a joint degree in law and urban planning from the University of Kansas in 2000, and a B.S. in Social Services and Theatre Arts from Bradley University in 1996.