Director, Environmental Studies Program, Associate Professor, Geography and Urban Studies

An associate professor of Geography and Urban Studies, Dr. Mason’s expertise is in environmental policy and planning with a specialty in the study of protected areas. He has been involved in studies of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Adirondack Park in New York, and locations in Japan, including the Shirakami Sanchi World Heritage Area. A Temple University faculty member since 1986, Dr. Mason teaches Environment and Society and Environmental Policy Issues. He is currently involved in a study of “smart growth,” which involves less land-consumptive suburban planning as well as directing growth toward existing urban areas rather than creating new subdivisions. Dr. Mason recently presented results of a survey of southeast Pennsylvania municipal responses to new land-use legislation that encourages multi-municipal planning. Dr. Mason is involved in a project to create a visitors center for the Delaware Canal State Park in conjunction with non-profit group Secor Associates Inc., the Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown, Delaware Canal State Park, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Dr. Mason has written numerous books and articles on environmental policy and land use management, including Contested Lands: Conflict and Compromise in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, and Atlas of United States Environmental Issues with cartographer Mark Mattson. Dr. Mason, with Sarah Michaels, contributed a chapter entitled “Sentimental Ecology, Science and Sustainable Ecosystem Management” for the book Ecology, Uncertainty and Policy: Managing Ecosystems for Sustainability. An article written by Mason with Sarah Michaels and William D. Solecki entitled “Participatory Research on Collaborative Environmental Management: Results from the Adirondack Park” recently appeared in the journal Society and Natural Resources. Dr. Mason is an associated faculty member of the Center for Sustainable Communities at Temple University Ambler. He is a member of the Association of American Geographers, the American Geographical Society, and the Northeast Environmental Studies Group.