Joseph Mendonca is the Climate Program Associate on the Land Use and Development Team. In this role, he supports Smart Growth America’s research and technical assistance work in partnership with local community-based organizations from across the country. His main interests are affordable housing and climate justice, and the relationship between them.

Joseph was previously a research assistant at the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies and the Florida Center for Environmental Studies, where he engaged with housing professionals to identify and expand access to natural hazard risk information in low- and moderate-income communities. He joins Smart Growth America as a recent graduate from Florida Atlantic University with a Master’s Degree in Geosciences with a concentration in the Human Environment and Sustainable Science.