Several teams are working in Virginia to complete portions of an ​eventual Virginia Zoning Atlas. HousingForward Virginia — a ​nonprofit affordable housing research and policy organization — has ​published the Hampton Roads region as part of a region-by-region ​initiative called ZONED IN, which seeks to educate stakeholders on ​the basics of zoning and its impacts on housing affordability and ​racial equity. Researchers from the Mercatus Center at George ​Mason University are preparing to unveil the Northern Virginia Atlas ​during NVAHA’s Educate & Celebrate Event, taking place on May ​30, 2024.

About Emily hamilton

Emily Hamilton is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the ​Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. ​Her research focuses on urban economics and land-use policy. She ​publishes both academic research and policy work. Her writing has ​appeared in outlets including the Washington Post and the Los ​Angeles Times, and she writes an occasional column at Governing. ​Hamilton has testified before several state legislatures as well as ​the U.S. House of Representatives. Hamilton serves on the Advisory ​Boards of Up for Growth and Cityscape, a journal published by the ​Department of Housing and Urban Development. She received her ​PhD in economics from George Mason University.

About Eli kahn

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eli became interested in housing ​policy while frustrated with housing and commute options in Los ​Angeles after college. After getting involved in YIMBY advocacy in ​the LA area, he returned to the Bay Area for an MPP at UC Berkeley, ​where he worked on policy proposals such as incentive programs ​for lower-emissions concrete production, and built on a lifelong love ​of maps and geography by training in geospatial data analysis. He’s ​passionate about cities and excited to keep learning how to help ​them grow.

About Andrew Crouch

Andrew Crouch is a second-year MA student in Economics at ​George Mason University. He earned a BS in Economics from ​George Mason University. His research interests include urban ​economics, monetary policy, and macroeconomic growth.

About Eric Mai

Eric is the Executive Director for Strategy & Sustainability at ​HousingForward Virginia. He specializes in policy research, real ​estate development practices, data analysis, and communication ​strategies.

He currently leads the Virginia Zoning Atlas, a statewide effort to ​compile local zoning ordinances to analyze and visualize their ​impact on housing in the Commonwealth. In addition, he coordinates ​HousingX, an affordable housing innovation conference that focuses ​on the leading industry and policy practices that are changing how ​affordable housing is being built and financed.

He received his Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from ​Virginia Commonwealth University. Previously, Eric worked in the ​field of archaeology for six years in the Mid-Atlantic, while earning ​his Masters of Archaeology and Heritage Management from the ​University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

About Jonathan Knopf

Jonathan is the Executive Director for Programs at HousingForward ​Virginia, where he leads housing research and education efforts ​across the Commonwealth. His work includes regional and local ​housing needs assessments, policy generation and implementation, ​and innovative communications strategies.

Jonathan specializes in using data to tell stories about—and design ​solutions for—Virginia’s housing challenges. His expertise includes ​analyzing and visualizing demographic and economic data, ​developing new methods to evaluate programs, and designing ​training curricula on policy and messaging best practices for housing ​practitioners.

Jonathan is also well-versed in state and local codes related to land ​use and zoning, property taxes, and housing finance in Virginia. He ​regularly helps craft new and improved policy measures through ​technical assistance to local governments, housing providers, and ​advocates. Jonathan's focus areas include inclusionary zoning, ​manufactured housing, housing trust funds, and vacant properties.

Jonathan has a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia ​Commonwealth University. He serves on the board of directors for ​VCDC and Housing Families First, and sits on several other advisory ​boards for housing organizations across the state.

About James Freas

As the Deputy City Manager for Operations, James Freas oversees ​the Office of Community Solutions, Public Works, Transit, and ​Utilities. He is currently also serving as Director of Neighborhood ​Development Services. Since joining Charlottesville as Director of ​Neighborhood Development Services in September 2023, he has ​proved valuable by leading the comprehensive rewrite of the ​Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance.

James has over 15 years of city planning experience in ​Massachusetts and Virginia before joining the City. Extensive ​experience in team building for collaborative planning and ​implementation. As Senior Planner in Hampton, VA, he oversaw ​environmental policy and neighborhood master plan implementation. ​In Boston, he served as Regional Planner for the Metropolitan Area ​Planning Council. After serving as Chief Planner in Newton, ​Massachusetts, he became Deputy Director of the Department of ​Planning & Development. He was appointed Director of Community ​and Economic Development for Natick, Massachusetts, in late 2019. ​He developed strategies for housing, transportation, climate, ​economic development, and effective policies and zoning. He ​prioritizes community design to provide solutions that benefit the ​entire community.

James earned a bachelor's degree from Virginia University and ​master's degrees in planning and environmental law from Rhode ​Island University and Vermont Law School.