Richard M. Kos, AICP
Mr. Kos’s professional skills encompass many facets of urban and regional planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and education. His studies at Rutgers University focused on environmental planning and urban design, and his graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill concentrated on the use of digital technology to study land use change spatially and quantitatively, transportation planning, and alternative approaches to conventional suburban development patterns.
Mr. Kos served in a number of increasingly responsible positions as an urban planner, starting as a site plan reviewer for the Middlesex County, NJ Planning Department. During and after his graduate studies in North Carolina, he was an Assistant Planner for the Town of Apex, NC where he served as webmaster, land use planner, and GIS coordinator. He next served as Senior Town Planner and GIS Manager for Huntersville, NC.
Since 2007, Mr. Kos has taught graduate-level GIS and urban planning courses at San Jose State University. He offers introductory and advanced-level GIS courses with a strong emphasis on technological and project management skills sought by today’s employers. He has managed large teams of graduate students to produce maps and conduct spatial analysis for many clients in the South Bay including the City of San Jose Planning Department, Health Trust, Catholic Charities, The City of Mountain View Planning Department, Sustainable San Mateo, and CommUniverCity San Jose.
In 2008, Mr. Kos began to offer his services in GIS education and mapping, cartography and urban planning as a sole proprietor. His recent clients include the Mineta Transportation Institute, SamTrans, Greenbelt Alliance, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the City of Mountain View, CA, Worldlink, Raimi & Associates, HIP Housing, MidPeninsula Housing, Mobility Planners, LLC and KGO-TV in San Francisco.
In 2012, Esri Press published “GIS for Economic Development”, which Mr. Kos co-authored with a San Jose State University colleague.