Henry Louis Taylor, Jr.

Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. is a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo. He is the founding director of the UB Center for Urban Studies and associate director of the UB Community Equity Research Institute. A distinguished urban historian and planner with a background in health sciences, Taylor’s work examines urbanism under racial capitalism, focusing on neighborhood underdevelopment and health disparities in Black communities. He also explores Black social movements, Cuban culture, and university-community dynamics.

• Ph.D. in Urban History, University at Buffalo
• M.A. in Urban History, University at Buffalo
• M.S. in Audiology, University of Tennessee
• B.S. in Speech Pathology, Tennessee A&I State University

Taylor’s research bridges urban planning, history, and health equity, emphasizing systemic racism’s role in shaping cities. His Google Scholar publications reveal a focus on redlining, breast cancer disparities, neoliberal urbanism, and grassroots resistance to displacement. He co-developed a framework for civic engagement 3.0, advocating for transformative university-community partnerships.

Taylor has received numerous accolades, including:

• 2022 Social Justice Award and Community Healer Award
• 2019 William Wells Brown Award for African American History Preservation
• 2018 Marilyn J. Gittell Activist Scholar Award
• 2016 Excellence in University Community Engagement Award
• 2005 Michael J. Krasner Professional Planner Award

He teaches courses like Race, Class, Gender and the City and Health and the Neighborhood for medical students. Taylor also leads Buffalo’s Black community initiatives through roles on the African American Health Equity Task Force and the King Urban Life Center Board of Directors.