Gilles Duranton

Gilles Duranton is the Dean's Chair in Real Estate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been teaching since 2012. He previously held academic positions at the University of Toronto (2005-2012) and the London School of Economics (1996-2005). At Wharton, he served as Chair of the Real Estate Department from 2013 to 2019.

Dr. Duranton earned his PhD from the London School of Economics in 1997 and his BSc from HEC in 1991. His academic career spans nearly three decades with significant contributions to urban economics and transportation economics.

Duranton's research primarily focuses on urban economics and transportation economics, with particular interest in urban mobility, density, agglomeration economies, and transportation infrastructure. His work examines how cities function, grow, and impact economic development, with studies spanning both developed and developing countries. He has conducted extensive research on traffic congestion, urban planning, and the economic implications of transportation systems, with fieldwork in countries including India and Latin America.

His scholarly achievements have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards including the Walter Isard Prize for Scholarly Achievement (2014), the Hewings Prize (2007), the August Lösch Prize (2006), and the Philip Leverhulme Prize (2003). He is a Fellow of The Regional Science Association and has served as President of both the Urban Economics Association and the North American Regional Science Council.

Duranton has held significant editorial roles as Co-editor of the Journal of Urban Economics and as a member of several editorial boards. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research. His professional affiliations include the LSE International Growth Centre and the LSE Centre for Economic Performance.