F. Kaid Benfield

Kaid Benfield is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on how to make cities, towns, and neighborhoods work better for both people and the environment. Kaid serves as special counsel for urban solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC, where he works on positive, forward-thinking approaches to environmental challenges in the places where Americans live, work, and play. Kaid also teaches regional planning and sustainable development practices at the George Washington University School of Law.

A longtime leader of the smart growth movement, Kaid co-founded LEED for Neighborhood Development, a national process for defining and certifying smart, green land development under the auspices of the US Green Building Council. He is also a founder and board member of Smart Growth America, a nationwide coalition working on revitalizing cities, building better neighborhoods, and stopping the spread of suburban sprawl. Kaid was named one of "the most influential people in sustainable planning and development" by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and voted one of the "top urban thinkers" on the leading city planning website, Planetizen.com.

Kaid is a prolific writer whose portfolio spans several books and frequent articles for The Huffington Post, Atlantic Cities, Sustainable Cities, and NRDC websites. His new book is People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities.