Brian Ohm

Office: 110 Music Hall

Office Hours:

Phone: (608) 262-2098

Email: bwohm@wisc.edu

Professor Ohm joined the faculty in 1994. He holds a joint appointment with the University of Wisconsin Extension where he is the state specialist in land use law, environmental regulation, and growth management. He also has an affiliate appointment with the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies.

Prior to joining the faculty at UW, Professor Ohm worked as an attorney for the Metropolitan Council, the regional governing body for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. While at the Council he was involved in numerous regional planning initiatives involving land use, affordable housing, natural resources, transportation, governance, and local public service delivery. Prior to that he worked as an attorney in private practice for the Minneapolis law firm then known as Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman, Ltd., where he specialized in litigation involving land use, eminent domain, and securities fraud.

Professor Ohm holds a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, a Master of Arts Degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Olaf College with majors in History and Political Science.

He is involved in a variety of planning related projects at all levels of government -- campus, city, county, and state--and with private organizations.

At UW, Professor Ohm has served as Chair of the Campus Transportation Committee and on the Campus Planning Committee. He served on the Campus Planning Committee during the development of the Campus Master Plan.

He served on the City of Madison Plan Commission, for 4 1/2 years. As a plan commissioner, he was involved with the development of the City’s inclusionary zoning ordinance, and the City’s comprehensive plan. He also served as the Mayor's representative on the steering committee for the Dane County comprehensive plan.

He served as Chair of the North Mendota Parkway Advisory Committee established by the Dane County Board of Supervisors and currently serves on the North Mendota Parking Implementation Oversight Committee.

He was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to serve as the University of Wisconsin System representative to the Wisconsin Land Council. The Wisconsin Land Council was created to gather and analyze land use and planning related information, coordinate high priority state initiatives including the development of a Wisconsin land information system and provide recommendations to the Governor for improvements to the existing statewide planning framework. He has served as Chair of the State-Local Government- Private Sector Working Group of the Council.

He served as a citizen member of the Wisconsin Legislative Council Special Committee on Regional Transportation Authorities (2008-2009) and currently serves of the State Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements Council (appointed by Rod Nilsestuen, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection). 

He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative.

He currently serves as Vice President for Chapter Affairs for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association.