Meghan Gough

Dr. Meghan Gough serves as Associate Professor of urban and regional studies and planning at Virginia Commonwealth University's L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Her community-engaged scholarship focuses on building civic capacity and developing equitable planning frameworks for sustainable communities. She holds a B.S. in Biology from James Madison University, M.U.R.P. in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech, and Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Ohio State University.

Her research examines:

• Civic engagement methodologies for marginalized communities
• Structural barriers to equitable planning processes
• University-community partnerships for sustainable development
• Policy implementation for climate-resilient cities

Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on power dynamics in urban planning, with recent work examining cultural landscapes through racial equity frameworks, policy assessment methodologies for sustainability plans, and institutional partnerships for community wealth building. Research consistently integrates participatory approaches across diverse contexts from historic cemetery preservation to restaurant sustainability practices.

She actively contributes to planning practice through collaborations with municipal governments, public gardens, and community organizations to advance equitable development frameworks.