Gil Kelley

Gil Kelley serves as Director of Citywide Planning for San Francisco and practitioner-in-residence at Portland State University's Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning. With 35+ years in urban planning, he previously led Berkeley's planning department for a decade and Portland's for nine years, spearheading transformative projects like South Waterfront redevelopment and the 20-minute neighborhood concept.

His academic credentials include:

• Bachelor's degree from Evergreen (1979)
• Mid-career Master's in Urban Studies and Planning from MIT

Kelley's research focuses on sustainable urban ecosystems where walkability, equity, and community co-creation converge. He champions the 20-minute neighborhood model—now embedded in Portland's strategic planning—as a framework for reducing carbon footprints while enhancing livability through intentional spatial design and participatory governance.

His recognition includes:

• Loeb Fellowship, Harvard Graduate School of Design
• Lincoln Fellowship, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

While maintaining full-time municipal leadership, Kelley shapes future planners through University of Amsterdam master classes and Portland State mentorship. His career exemplifies applied urban theory, transforming academic concepts like collaborative governance into tangible policies that reshape metropolitan landscapes across three U.S. cities and international consulting projects in China and Brazil.