Zhenghong Tang

Dr. Zhenghong Tang is a professor and program director in the Community and Regional Planning Program and Landscape Architecture Program, and also a courtesy professor in the School of Natural Resources and the School of Global Integrative Studies, and a faculty fellow in the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, the Center for Great Plains Studies at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Dr.Tang teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in CRPL 470/870 Environmental Planning and Policy, CRPL 433/833 GIS in Environmental Design and Planning, CRPL 471/871 Environmental Impact Assessment, CRPL 472/872 Hazard Mitigation Planning, and CRPL 802 Planning Theory. 

Dr. Tang’s major research interests address environmental planning, hazard mitigation, and geospatial science and technology. His overall research focuses on the integration of local planning tools with strategic environmental management and hazard mitigation. Three primary research categories are active in his research agenda:

(1)  Promoting “integrated planning” approach to improve state and local planning capacity for extreme hazards, community resilience, and sustainable development: His research evaluates a series of state and local plans (comprehensive plans, hazard mitigation plans, emergency operations plans, climate action plans, and watershed plans) and emphasizes using the “integrated planning” approach to improve state and local planning capacity  for long-term, uncertain, strategic environmental and hazard challenges, such as drought and flood. He also collaborates with state and local planning agencies to promote adaptation planning practices for community sustainable development.

(2)  Developing geospatial information platforms with machine/deep learning algorithms/Artificial intelligence (Geo-AI) for precision conservation and environmental management: He builds geospatial information platforms and AI algorithms that integrates low-altitude Unmanned Aerial System and environmental sensors (e.g., Light Detection and Ranging sensor (LiDAR) and multispectral/thermal/oblique photogrammetry sensors) and ground measurements (e.g. Ground Penetrating Radar, field surveys) for precision conservation. The advanced high-resolution information platform improves the understanding on ecosystem services at a spatiotemporal scale, and provides scientific assistance for the federal, state, regional and local agencies in wetland restoration, watershed planning, and soil and water conservation.  

(3)  Planning for mobile-enabled society through incorporating crowdsourcing data, citizen science, and mobile devices for environmental data sharing, visualization, and decision making:  He develops the GPS-synchronous mobile information system that can transfer the complex scientific environmental databases to citizens and also allow citizens to report the real-time information to stakeholders. His research lab has officially published a series of mobile information applications for iOS and Android systems.

Zhenghong Tang, Ph.D., Professor, Program Director
Community and Regional Planning Program   
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln
313 Architecture Hall, 400 Stadium Dr.
NE 68588-0105 
Phone: (402)-472-9281 
Fax: (402)-472-3806 
Email: ztang2@unl.edu

https://www.unl.edu/ztang2