John Norquist

John Norquist’s work promoting New Urbanism as an antidote to sprawl’s social and environmental problems draws on his experience as big-city mayor and prominent participant in national discussions on urban design and school reform. Norquist was the mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 to 2004. Under his leadership, Milwaukee experienced a decline in poverty, saw a boom in new downtown housing, and became a leading center of education and welfare reform. He has overseen a revision of the city’s zoning code and reoriented development around walkable streets and public amenities such as the city’s 3.1-mile Riverwalk. He is the author of The Wealth of Cities and has taught courses in urban planning and development at the University of Chicago, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning.