A Brief History

ur·ban·olo·gist (ʉr′bə näl′ə jist): (noun) a student of, or specialist in, urban problems

As an urbanologist, geographer, historian, and raconteur, Max Grinnell finds his raison d’etre in describing, critiquing, and analyzing the urban condition.

Raised in Seattle and Madison, Wisconsin, Max was educated at the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin. He has diverse talents and abilities that he brings to his work as an educator, a journalist, an urban consultant, and a writer.

As part of his professional experience, Max has worked with the Michael Sorkin Design Studio, the Newberry Library, Frommer’s Publications, AA Publishing, the Chicago Tribune, the city of Chicago’s Cultural Affairs Department, the Worldwide University Network, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Chicago.

He has designed and taught courses on urban studies, community development, geography, planning and sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Boston University, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the University of Chicago.

Since 2002, Max has written and edited The Scout Report, a weekly publication sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Microsoft Corporation, and the University of Wisconsin. Each week, he writes about high quality websites that profile everything from medieval medical manuscripts to photo archives documenting the architectural history of San Francisco. The most recent edition of the Report can be found here.

Over the past decade, Max has published several substantive critiques of urban development policies, architectural guides to Chicago and Boston, and a book on the history of one of Chicago’s most diverse and culturally significant neighborhoods, Hyde Park.

His most recent book was for the Rough Guide series, where he was sought out to profile the cultural and historical facets of life in eight different states, including Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. 

Those who are interested in learning more about Max and his recent work may wish to read this interview conducted by National Geographic. 

As a dedicated supporter of cities large and small, Max has been awarded the key to the city in a number of places, including Staunton, Virginia, Carson City, Nevada, and Ashland, Kentucky.

When he’s not on the road, Max can be found in Cambridge or Chicago.