The Charles Causier Memorial Lecture is held annually in honor of the late alumnus and colleague. Charles Causier worked passionately as a professional planner with the consulting firm HNTB, a citizen planner serving on the Wauwatosa planning commission for 20 years and named Wauwatosa’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 2002, and an inspirational educator in our urban planning program. The annual lecture is given by leading academic and professional planners who spark engaging discussions about cutting-edge urban planning topics. Each year, dozens of students, staff, faculty, and friends of the University attend the lecture, discussion, and reception.

Current Lecture:
Dr. Petra Hurtado and Dr. Sagar Shah, “Emerging Trends in Planning: AI, Climate, Polycrisis, Upskilling, & More.”

Past Lectures:
2023
Bill Quackenbush, “Tribal Community Planning: A Ho-Chunk Nation Perspective and Lessons for Practitioners”

2021
Dr. Destiny Thomas, “Un-planning Cities: reparative design and atonement in the built environment”

2019
john a. powell, “Racial Equity and Economic Justice in Urban Planning Practice and Community Building”

2018
Emily Talen, “Walkable + Diverse Cities: What Could Go Wrong?”

2017
Alan Ehrenhalt, “The Once and Future City”

2016
Veronica Davis, Nspiregreen, Washington, DC. “Race, Planning, Biking, Equity, and Other Stuff!!” African-American transportation planner focusing on bike planning and community engagement.

2015
Mary Miss, “City as Living Laboratory: Sustainability Made Tangible Through the Arts”

2014
Edward Glaeser, “Triumph of the City”

2013
Reid Ewing, “Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change”