Daniel Cooper - Metropolitan Planning Council

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Daniel Cooper

Dan Cooper joined MPC in October 2018 as the Director of Research. He brings experience in data analysis and visualization, policy analysis, and collaborative, action research. He provides research strategy and support across MPC’s program areas.

Prior to MPC, Dan was the founding executive director of the Center for Equitable Cities at Adler University in Chicago after serving as the Associate Director of the Institute for Public Safety and Social Justice. During his time at Adler, he worked with organizations across Chicago on issues such as housing and community development, community organizing, violence prevention, justice system reform, and health equity. He is the co-author of the 2018 book The War on Neighborhoods: Policing, Prison, and Punishment in a Divided Citya narrative-driven exploration of the impact of urban blight and incarceration in Chicago, and a new vision for repairing urban neighborhoods.

He holds a doctorate in community research and action from Vanderbilt University and a master's degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also a class of 2017 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow. A native of Aurora, Illinois, He currently lives on Chicago's Northwest Side in Albany Park, one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the United States.

Read Dan's MPC Spotlight

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News

  1. Improving Latino Jobs Must be a Focus for the State of Illinois

    • By Daniel Cooper and Margarita Bernal, Research Assistant; Sylvia Puente and Noreen Sugrue, Latino Policy Forum
    • Sep 14, 2022
  2. Data Points | Who's leaving Cook County?

    • By Daniel Cooper and Rob Paral and Jim Lewis, Rob Paral and Associates
    • Aug 10, 2021

More news »

Photo of Daniel Cooper

Contact

Daniel Cooper Senior Director
312 863 6042

Areas of expertise

  • Community development
  • Housing policy
  • Health equity
  • Civic engagement
  • Mixed-methods research
  • Program evaluation

Education

Ph.D. in Community Research and Action, Vanderbilt University 

Master of Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP), University of Illinois at Chicago

M.S. in Community Research and Action, Vanderbilt University 

B.A. in Psychology, North Park University

This page can be found online at http://archive.metroplanning.org/work/project-manager/143

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