Florida Planner Takes Skills to Iraq

Daniel Reed, former Planning Director of Daytona Beach, is now the primary planner of Sadr City, 12 miles north of Baghdad.

1 minute read

June 18, 2008, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"What would prompt a man to swap his family, safety and Daytona Beach, Fla., for the perils of Iraq?

Ask Daniel Reed.

'I really thought I could make a difference,' said Reed, 47, who served as Bay City planner from 1995-2000 and later served as planning director for Daytona Beach.

But his life took an unexpected turn in 2007, when a pamphlet from the U.S. State Department crossed his desk. Reed applied for the position of urban planner, and his 21 years of experience landed him a spot at Camp Taji, Iraq, 12 miles north of Baghdad.

Reed, who began his new job in November, now works as the primary planner for Sadr City, a Baghdad enclave marked by chaos and violence.

'The infrastructure is, for the most part, not working,' Reed said in an e-mail to The Times. 'For instance, regularly scheduled trash pick-up is nonexistent. It is my belief that it is not going as well as the 'official government' commentary would like you to think it is.'

Reed's role as Bay City planner meant associating with zoning, planning and architectural boards. While he says there are some common factors between that joband his position in Iraq - both involve managing sewers, water and roads - the context of his work ''is on a vastly different scale,' he said."

Monday, June 16, 2008 in The Bay City Times

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

Close-up of front of blue locomotive with Amtrak logo.

What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like

An FRA study shows how new Amtrak lines could connect tens of millions more Americans to rail travel.

January 30, 2025 - Fast Company

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

Amtrak train with downtown Seattle in background.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record

The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

February 2, 2025 - Daily Hive

View of wooded area and homes in Altadena, California with hills and downtown Los Angeles, California in the distance.

Half of Altadena’s Black Homes Lost or Damaged in Eaton Fire

The community has higher Black homeownership rates than most of Los Angeles, but now faces an uncertain future as residents struggle to rebuild.

February 9 - The Guardian

Low view of person with vision impairment cane walking through crosswalk.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians

A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

February 9 - University of Maryland

Row of vehicles parked and plugged in at EV charging station.

Federal EV Charging Program Suspended

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program planned to fund the construction of hundreds of EV charging stations across the country.

February 9 - Wired

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.