Henry Renski
Department Chair & Professor of Regional Planning
PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2006
MRP, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1998
BA, University of Southern Maine, 1995
Background
Henry Renski, PhD, is a professor of regional planning and the Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass Amherst.
Professor Renski joined the department in 2007. He teaches courses in quantitative methods; Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis; and state and local economic development policy. Professor Renski’s research focuses on understanding the technological and social forces driving regional economic competitiveness and transformation, and building upon this knowledge to improve the effectiveness of economic development policy. His current work examines regional influences on entrepreneurship; changing patterns of commercial development in the internet age; industrial cluster analysis and cluster-based development strategies; and the application of spatial-analytical techniques to local economic policy decision-making.
His work has been published in a variety of planning, economic development and regional science journals including the Journal of the American Planning Association, the Journal of Planning Research and Education, Regional Studies, the Journal of Regional Science, Papers in Regional Science, and Economic Development Quarterly.
In addition to his teaching and research, Professor Renski serves as the Director for the Center for Economic Development, a campus-based institute which provides technical assistance and conducts applied research on behalf of states, communities, regional planning and development agencies, and other public/non-profit entities interested in promoting economic development. He is the former Director of the Master of Regional Planning Program and the PhD in Regional Planning Program at UMass Amherst. He is also the former Associate Director of the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR).
Prior to joining the department, Dr. Renski worked as a Special Assistant to the Governor of the State of Maine as both the Deputy Program Manager of Maine’s WIRED (Workforce Innovations in Economic Development) initiative and as a Research Economist with the Maine State Planning Office.
Courses
REGIONPL 620: Quant Meth In Planning
REGIONPL 625: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Planning
REGIONPL 643: Econ Dev Iss In Plan
REGIONPL 673: Spatial Analysis & Regional Development
Selected Publications
- Infield, E., Renski, H., et al. (2024). Insights for Receiving Communities in Planning Equitable and Positives Outcomes Under Climate Migration: Expert Convening Results. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
In the News
- (2023, October 26). Study Aims to Include Truckers when Redefining Trucking in the Age of Automated Vehicles. University of Massachusetts News.