Pete Harrison is the Director of Connecticut Programs at Regional Plan Association (RPA), where he leads efforts to promote equitable and sustainable land use policies. He joined RPA in 2022 as Director of DesegregateCT, a statewide initiative where he helped pass the first major zoning reform bill in Connecticut in over 30 years. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Policy Fellow for DesegregateCT, contributing to policy development, communications, and local organizing across an 80-member coalition.
Before his work in Connecticut, Pete focused on the intersection of housing, climate, and land use as a research scholar at Columbia University’s Buell Center for Architecture. He co-authored a section of Green Reconstruction: A Curricular Toolkit for the Built Environment, advocating for equity and sustainability in the built environment. He also served as a senior housing advisor at Data for Progress, co-authoring influential reports on federal housing policy and advising several high-profile presidential campaigns. A former congressional candidate and longtime housing organizer in New York City, Pete brings extensive experience in both advocacy and political strategy. He holds degrees from the College of the Holy Cross and Columbia University and teaches at the City University of New York.
