Michael Boswell

Chair and Professor | City and Regional Planning Department

Areas of Expertise

Climate Action Planning

Hazard Mitigation

Local Government Planning

Contact Information

805.756.1315

Email

Twitter | LinkedIn

Biography

Michael Boswell is department head and a professor in the City and Regional Planning Department who has published on topics such as climate action planning, hazard mitigation, adaptive management and governance, local government planning, autonomous vehicles, and sustainable development. He is lead author of the book “Climate Action Planning,” designed to help planners, municipal staff and officials, citizens and others working at local levels to develop climate action plans.

Boswell currently serves as an expert advisor on “Guidelines for City Climate Action Planning” for the United Nation - Habitat's Cities and Climate Change Initiative, and attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP-21) to launch the report. In 2017, he represented the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning in the Planners for Climate Action initiative launched at COP-23 in Bonn, Germany. Since 2006 he has served as a senior advisor and project director for the California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

Boswell is a founding member and served on the Organizing Committee of the Central Coast Climate Collaborative and is the director of the California Climate Action Planning Conference. He has also served on the board of Bike SLO County and as a member and chair of the City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission. 

Education

• Ph.D., Florida State University, Urban and Regional Planning
• M.S., Florida State University, Urban and Regional Planning 
• B.A., University of Central Florida, Political Science