Northeastern's David Soule dies
David Soule, associate director of Northeastern University’s Center for Urban and Regional Policy and the former executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, died of cancer on Nov. 17. He was 61.
Soule was a co-author of the report “Revenue Sharing and the Future of the Massachusetts Economy” that was presented at the MMA Annual Meeting in 2006. The report made the case that vibrant cities and towns are essential to the state’s economic well-being. (Click here for more information.)
“David was a remarkable person,” said MMA Executive Director Geoffrey Beckwith. “He was a strong and forceful advocate for governing and working together in the public interest, and his leadership and friendship will be sorely missed by all of us.”
At the Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Soule focused on helping to revive older industrial cities. Through the center’s Economic Development Partnership, dozens of New England cities are able to chart their progress on economic development, affordable housing, and workforce development.
Soule, who earned a doctorate through Northeastern’s Law, Policy and Society program in 2003, also was the editor and a contributor to “Urban Sprawl: A Comprehensive Reference Guide,” published by Greenwood Press in 2005.
Prior to becoming the executive director of the MAPC, a position he held for more than 15 years, Soule directed the regional planning commission in Nashua, N.H.
Northeastern will pay tribute to Soule at noon on Dec. 12 at the university’s Spiritual Life Center.
Written by MMA Associate Editor Mitch Evich
