Biography

Our markets, governments, and quality of life depend on the consistent provision and maintenance of expansive networks of transportation, energy, water, communications, health, food, and waste. How we govern the planning, finance, design, and construction of these networks can determine the economic vitality and environmental integrity of our communities. I use transaction cost economics to evaluate the approaches and outcomes of infrastructure investments. My interest is in reducing the financial and natural cost of these systems, while ensuring their capacity to meet the demands for service placed on them by our ever-expanding population.

Research Interests

• Infrastructure, Economics, Finance, and Systems
• Transaction Cost Economics, New Institutional Economics
• Public Finance, Public-Private Partnerships
• Chronic Disease, Environmental and Genetic Factors, and Built Environments
• Strategic and Scenario Planning

Current Courses

• URBDP 598/466 Infrastructure Planning and Finance
• MIPM 503 Infrastructure Finance
• URBDP 598 Planning for Water
• URBDP 598/498 Making Policy with Science
• URBDP 598 Infrastructure Mega-Projects
• URBDP 501 Comprehensive Planning and Implementation

2008 PhD, City and Regional Planning,
University of California, Berkeley

1993 MCRP, City and Regional Planning,
California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

1987 BA, Biology and Environmental Studies,
University of California, Santa Cruz

Selected Publications

Whittington, J. “When to partner for public infrastructure? Transaction cost evaluation of design-build delivery” Journal of the American Planning Association, (In Press).

Whittington, J. and C. Hoofnagle. “Unpacking Privacy’s Price” University of North Carolina Law Review, 90 (June 2012): 1327-1370. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2059154.

Armbruster, G., Endicott-Popovsky, B., and Whittington, J. “Are we prepared for the economic risk resulting from telecom hotel disruptions?” International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, 5 (2012): 55-65. doi:10.1016/j.ijcip.2012.05.003.

Jan Whittington, Peter Hurley, and Jill Sterrett. “New Certification for Sustainable Transportation Projects and Plans” The Washington Planner: A Publication of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association, May 11, 2011, page 4.

Whittington, Jan and David E. Dowall. “Transaction-cost economic analysis of institutional change toward design-build contracts for public transportation” Paper WP.2006.09, IURD Working Paper Series. Berkeley, CA: Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California, Berkeley, 2006.

David E. Dowall and Jan Whittington. Making Room for the Future: Rebuilding California's Infrastructure. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California, 2003. (www.ppic.org) ISBN: 1-58213-045-0.

Whittington, Jan. "The making of California's energy crisis" Berkeley Planning Journal, 16 (2002): 44-75.

Whittington, Jan. "Making Room for the Future: Rebuilding California's Infrastructure" In, Physical Infrastructure: Crosscutting Issues Planning Conference Report. Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, October 2001: 26-36.

Michael Neuman and Jan Whittington. Building California's Future: Current Conditions in Infrastructure Planning, Budgeting and Financing. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California, 2000. (www.ppic.org) ISBN: 1-58213-024-8.

Recent Presentations

Sixth Annual International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 11.10 International Conference on Critical Infrastructure Protection, Session 1: Infrastructure Security, Understanding the Risk to the Internet Infrastructure with Ginger Armbruster, and Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, National Defense University, Washington, DC, March 19, 2012

Seattle Technical Forum, Mobile Computing Revealed (Session One), The Economics of Security in Mobile Computing, Bellevue City Hall, Washington, March 14, 2012

American Planning Association Symposium, Moving Forward: Game Changing Initiatives, Portland, Oregon, October 19, 2011

US Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington and University of Washington School of Law, 2011 Cybercrime Conference, Panel: OnLine: Rational Transactions or Insanity – What are we Receiving in Exchange for our Privacy?, Presentation: Economics of Personal Information, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington, October 7, 2011

Marissa Baker, Michael Yost, Janice Camp, and Jan Whittington. “NO2 Exposure and Probability of Walking in Seattle, WA: Methods Development and Assessment” University of Washington, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Student Research Day, Seattle, Washington. May 27, 2011

University of Washington, Real Estate Club and Evan’s School of Public Affairs Student Interest Group, Panelist, Public-Private Partnerships, May 6, 2011

Professional’s Council of the Masters in Urban Planning, Symposium on Research and Practice, Panelist, Planning and Financing our Aging Infrastructure, May 4, 2011

Whittington, Jan and Stefanie Young. “Markets are Messy: Teaching the Economics of Water” University of Washington Symposium on Teaching and Learning, Seattle, Washington. April 19, 2011

Jan Whittington. “Infrastructure Investment for Sustainable Growth: Evaluating the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Large-Scale Infrastructure Systems” University of California, Los Angeles, Lake Arrowhead Symposium, Lake Arrowhead, California, October 17, 2010

Jan Whittington. “Chronic Disease and Planning” Next City/Next 50, Department of Urban Design and Planning, College of Built Environments, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, January 30, 2010