Rolf Pendall

Rolf Pendall is a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he has held core faculty status since joining in 2018. Previously, he served as Center Director and Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute (2010–2018) and as Associate Professor at Cornell University. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley (1995) and degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Kenyon College.

His research focuses on land-use planning, affordable housing policy, racial segregation, and metropolitan growth. Ongoing projects include a longitudinal study of U.S. land-use regulations (National Longitudinal Land Use Survey) and an examination of student housing booms in college towns like Champaign. Collaborators include Dustin Allred at UIUC and Urban Institute researchers.

Teaching includes courses on planning theory (UP 501) and plan-making (UP 510). Advised students include Ariam Torres Cordero (PhD), Daniela Gomez, and others. His work integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, addressing policy implications for housing markets, urban resilience, and equitable development.