Planner Profile: Joe DiStefano

2 minute read

August 28, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT

By Joe DiStefano

An ongoing Planetizen series profiles professionals in planning, design, development and related fields. Learn what influenced people to enter the field, what work they have been doing, and what advice they have to offer others interested in planning and development.

Name:
Joe DiStefano

Current position and affiliation:
Senior Associate, Calthorpe Associates

Current location (City, State):
Berkeley, CA

Last position and organization:
Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP)

Last position location (City, State):
Washington D.C.

Brief description of a recent project:
I am currently managing the effort to develop a long-range regional vision for Southern Louisiana in the wake of the damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August 2005.

What is the most challenging part of your job?
The most challenging, and most interesting part of my job, is in effectively communicating the consequences of varying growth patterns to varied audiences - from politicians and decision makers, to advocacy groups, to the average guy or gal on the street. That's the only way we are really going to effect change...people need to understand the impacts of development and other decisions on the things they care about - be it tax burdens, environmental areas, public health, pollution, energy, infrastructure cost, family values, or the ability of their kids walking safely to school or the park.

What is the last planning (or other) book you read:
Bayou Farwell by Mike Tidwell. A great, and very poignant book, about the rapidly disappearing Louisiana coast and the cultures drowning with it. Its story is one of the things that keeps me motivated in the challenging work we are doing in Louisiana.

How did you get into the field?:
I studied urban history in college, particularly racial segregation in Los Angeles. Through this work, and an interest in the social implications of urban forms, I became fascinated by the urban landscape of LA and the water projects, highways, and transit systems that served as the framework for growth. Then I discovered there was a field called Urban Planning...who knew?

Where did you go to school?:
Public school all my life. Undergrad: UC Berkeley. Grad School: UNC-Chapel Hill (for planning).

Do you have any advice for someone entering the field?:
Stay idealistic. It's those ideals that slowly but surely make this world a better place, despite the cheesiness of that statement. Sure you will come up against market, political, and other hurdles and you will need to compromise. But never make compromises without those ideals firmly in your sights.

Planner Joe DiStefano (second from left) at a workshop in New Orleans, where he is managing the development of a long-range regional plan for Southern Louisiana

Planner Joe DiStefano (second from left) at a workshop in New Orleans, where he is managing the development of a long-range regional plan for Southern Louisiana.


portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2 - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

May 2 - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

May 2 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Write for Planetizen