Biography
Brian Deal teaches courses in physical planning, sustainable planning theory, energy systems in planning, and a multidisciplinary workshop on the application of sustainable planning principles. He also teaches course material online that contribute toward a better understanding of sustainability in planning and the USGBC’s LEED rating system. His research activities have focused on developing and deploying planning tools that engage the profession of planning and ultimately help communities make better decisions. His current research includes urban land use transformation and modeling, the development of useful decision support tools, and research into energy systems and planning for climate change. He is the Director of the Land use Evolution and impact Assessment Modeling (LEAM) Laboratory and the Director of the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC). He is also one of the primary authors of the University of Illinois’ climate action plan (iCAP), is a faculty mentor to the Student Sustainability Committee, and chairs the facilities committee for campus sustainability planning efforts.
Previous positions have included a decade of professional practice in architecture and as a senior researcher with the Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), where he focused on issues of sustainable design and development utilizing spatial simulation modeling techniques for military facilities. Professor Deal received a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois with a specialization in land use planning, modeling, and analysis. He also holds a master’s degree and professional license in architecture.
Research Interests
Primary research areas are sustainable planning and decision support systems.
Current work includes follow up and implementation planning for the campus climate action plan, a look at how urbanization is affecting rural amenities in Korea, and the technological advancement of a next generation, ‘sentient’, decision and planning support system.
Education
- PhD in Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002
- Master of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997
- BS in Architectural Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1983
Additional Campus Affiliations
Debra L Mitchell Professor, Landscape Architecture
Professor, Landscape Architecture
Professor, School of Architecture
Professor, Urban and Regional Planning
Professor, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Professor, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Recent Publications
Mosey, G., & Deal, B. (2025). Multi-Objective Optimization of the Layout of Tall Building Sites in Dense Urban Configurations for Improved Sustainability Outcomes. Architecture, 5(1), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture5010002
Pang, B., & Deal, B. (2025). Bridging Design and Climate Realities: A Meta-Synthesis of Coastal Landscape Interventions and Climate Integration. Land, 14(9), Article 1709. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14091709
Wang, J., Deal, B., & Hakim, M. I. (2025). Data-Driven Multi-Scale Integration of Transportation Networks and Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Landscape Infrastructure Planning. Land, 14(4), Article 807. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040807
Wu, C. C., Chang, C. Y., Deal, B., Li, D., & Sullivan, W. (2025). Unraveling urban plant diversity: The independent effects of plant species richness and greenness on health. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 113, Article 129028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2025.129028
Cong, C., Page, J., Kwak, Y., Deal, B., & Kalantari, Z. (2024). AI Analytics for Carbon-Neutral City Planning: A Systematic Review of Applications. Urban Science, 8(3), Article 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8030104