Thom Allen
Lecturer, University of Kansas

Thom Allen is the Associate Director of the University Honors Program and a Professor of Practice in Urban Planning at the University of Kansas, where he teaches across planning and architecture with an emphasis on site planning, creative placemaking, and urban design methods. His design approach uses competitions and tactical prototypes as applied research where he is testing ideas at a human scale, building public understanding, and informing policy and urban-scale initiatives. Previously, Allen served as the Kansas City Design Center Research & Engagement Fellow, partnering with neighborhoods across Kansas City to strengthen engagement and research capacity with support from the William T. Kemper Foundation. His public-sector experience includes urban design and community planning roles with the District of Columbia Office of Planning, where he helped lead the PLACE Project to clean and activate commercial corridors in Ward 7 and Ward 8 and contributed to redevelopment and creative placemaking initiatives, as well as work with the New York City Department of Design and Construction supporting citywide public-interest projects. Allen regularly collaborates with students, community partners, and professional networks to deliver public-facing projects that connect analysis to implementation, including Park(ing) Day and related studio-based initiatives, translating big-picture visions into feasible, measurable interventions. He holds a Master of Science in Homeland Security: Law & Policy and a Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Assessment from the University of Kansas, an M.S. in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University in the City of New York, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University.