Carnegie Mellon University

Principal, Criterion Planners Inc., Portland, OR

Bio

Eliot Allen is an urban and regional planner whose career has focused on the use of information technology and collaborative decision-making to help planners and citizens create places that are measurably more sustainable.  Mr. Allen has been a principal of Criterion Planners of Portland, Oregon since founding the firm in1979.  Criterion specializes in the development and application of planning support systems that enable scenario building and evaluation among community stakeholders.

Mr. Allen has lead teams whose work has been widely recognized by peers, including EPA's 2003 Climate Protection Award for the Chula Vista California Global Warming Reduction Plan, and APA's 2006 Plan of the Year Award for the Chicago 2040 Regional Framework Plan. He is a charter member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, a former chair of the City of Portland's Sustainability Commission, a member of the advisory board of Carnegie Mellon University's Remaking Cities Institute, and currently the primary certifier of LEED green neighborhoods for the U.S. Green Building Council.