About Don

My name is Don Chen and i live in a little town on the Hudson River with my wife and kids. I currently run the Just Cities initiative at the Ford Foundation, which supports some quite amazing people and organizations that are using urban development strategies in the Global South to reduce poverty, strengthen sustainability, and boost prosperity for all. Before that, I was the founder and CEO of Smart Growth America (SGA), which quickly became the nation’s leading smart growth advocacy group. During my tenure at SGA, I led efforts to create the National Vacant Properties Campaign (which has since spun off as the Center for Community Progress) and Transportation for America. I also arranged a friendly merger between SGA and the venerable Growth Management Leadership Alliance, which was launched in 1990 and consists of regional and state growth management groups in North America.