Bonnie Johnson, Ph.D., FAICP

Bonnie J. Johnson, PhD, FAICP is Director and Professor in the University of Kansas’ Urban Planning Program within the School of Public Affairs and Administration. She teaches planning theory, land use, and politics, planning, and administration courses. Research focuses on the profession of city planning and the roles and ethics of being a planner. Contributions to the field include the use of new media for neighborhood organizing, creation of the civic bureaucracy model, groundbreaking research on staff reports, and comparative studies of public service professions and their codes of ethics.

Before returning to school for her doctorate, Johnson was a practicing city planner for eight years designing citizen engagement processes for neighborhood, corridor, and city/countywide plans. While at the City of Liberty, Missouri, she was project manager for Liberty’s award-winning Blueprint for Liberty: Land Use Plan. The plan was awarded the American Planning Association’s “Outstanding Planning Award” for the best plan in the country. She is also the elected Professional Development Officer for the Kansas Chapter of the American Planning Association and appointed member of the American Institute of Certified Planners’ (AICP) Ethics Committee. She was inducted into the AICP College of Fellows in 2020.