Kristen Keener Busby

Kristen Keener Busby, AICP, is the Associate Director for Practice and Partnerships with the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy. Kristen has 25 years of land use planning and policy experience in sustainability, community development, infrastructure, and natural resource resiliency. She is a recognized leader in smart growth and has designed a variety of educational and outreach programs to advance shared community, economic, and environmental goals. She has a passion for growing and leveraging strategic public and private partnerships to help communities solve complex land use challenges. Most recently, Kristen led research, technical assistance, and outreach initiatives as a Director at the Urban Land Institute in Arizona. Previously, she was the Sustainability Manager at the Arizona Department of Transportation, focusing on the nexus between land use and transportation, extreme heat and climate resiliency. Kristen also led the Arizona Office of Smart Growth, working statewide with communities and regions developing programs to strength the ability of local officials to plan for smarter future growth. She received a Bachelor of Science in Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University and a Master of Environmental and Urban Planning from Arizona State University.