The Authors

Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Ph.D, AICP, is urban planner with extensive experience in using GIS concepts and tools to facilitate community-based planning and policymaking. She currently serves as Chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San José State University. Dr. Ramasubramanian has extensive experience establishing linkages between planners and GIS specialists. She was the first urban planner to serve as the President of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, UCGIS from 2012 to 2014 and currently serves as the President of the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). She served as a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) from 2016 to 2018. The NGAC provides advice and recommendations on national geospatial policy and management issues. Laxmi previously authored GIS and Public Participation, 2010, published by Springer. 

Dr. Jochen Albrecht, GISP, is a professor of Computational and Theoretical Geography at Hunter College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). He is the author of Key Concepts and Techniques in GIS, 2007, (Sage) and co-authored Essential Methods for Planning Practitioners, 2018, (Springer) with Dr. Ramasubramanian. In addition, Dr. Albrecht published over 60 refereed articles and conference proceedings and received the national GIS Educator of the Year award from the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). He served on the Board of Directors of several professional organizations and is currently the President of the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI).

Deborah Rojas De Leon, RA is a licensed architect in New York.  She is the owner and founder of Rojas AP, an architecture and planning firm in Jamaica, Queens.  Over the past decade, her work has been dedicated to enhancing the quality of neighborhoods through architecture and urban planning.  She consistently seeks out opportunities to collaborate with local community organizations and stakeholders, ensuring that her projects reflect the unique needs and aspirations of the people she serves. Deborah continually works towards a more equitable and harmonious urban landscape for all.  She teaches Graphic Communication at Hunter College in the Urban Planning and Policy master program where she empowers future planners to effectively share their spatial stories, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively.