Rex LaMore is Director of the Michigan State University's Center for Community Economic Development and a member of the faculty of the Urban and Regional Planning Program. Dr. LaMore has over 40 years of experience in Community and Economic Development and has focused his career on the unique challenges of revitalizing distressed communities and issues and practices related to equitable development that can help communities and regions begin to reverse patterns of segregation and disinvestment, prevent displacement, and promote equitable revitalization in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Dr. LaMore provides leadership at Michigan State University on a number of federal, foundation and privately funded research and outreach University/Community partnerships. His current research has focused on the “Science of Domicology”. The term “Domicology” coined by Dr. LaMore, recognizes that our built environment has a life cycle and we should plan, design, use, reuse, and eventually deconstruct the structures in our built environment that maximizes the salvage of structural materials, ends blight and abandonment in our communities and creates a new circular economy ecosystem. A number of Dr. LaMore's publications, research reports and handbooks are available at the CCED Website.
As the architect of the 1992 Outreach Partnership Act with Senator Don Riegle of Michigan, Dr. LaMore's work has affected the nature of University/Community partnerships nationwide. In 1995 he was the national recipient of the Community Development Society's Distinguished Service Award, in recognition of his leadership and sustained commitment to excellence in community development, received the prestigious Educator of the Year Award in 2008 from the Michigan Economic Developers Association and in 2011 was recognized by his peers at Michigan State University as a University Distinguished Academic Specialist.
Dr. LaMore served as President for the Michigan Association of Planning 2016-17 and served as a commissioner on the Williamstown Township Planning Commission for over 15 years.