Mike Houck

Full-time 2003-2004

Mike Houck serves as both the Founding Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute and an Urban Naturalist for the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon. Over the past 20 years, his work has shifted from an almost exclusive focus on environmental issues to a broader advocacy for a wide range of important urban and natural resources for the Portland region, including affordable housing, a rational metropolitan transportation system, the restoration of urban waterways, and a strong urban wilds system. He helped to found the Coalition for a Livable Future, now a 60-member organization of groups working for a sustainable metropolitan region. In continued pursuit of the knowledge necessary for cross discipline dialogue, Mike will use his fellowship to increase his knowledge of urban planning, landscape architecture and design, and to ensure natural resource protection and restoration is integrated into the smart growth agenda.