Professor John Friedmann (b. 1926, Vienna, Austria) is an Honorary Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Policy and Social Research at UCLA. He was founding professor of Program for Urban Planning in the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning at UCLA, and served as its head for a total of 14 years between 1969 and 1996.

In 1966 he developed the core-periphery four-stage model, explaining that "where economic growth is sustained over long time periods, its incidence works towards a progressive integration of the space economy". In 1988, he received the Distinguished Planning Educator Award from the American Collegiate Schools of Planning . His achievements have been International recognised, with Honorary Doctorates from the Catholic University of Chile and the Dortmund University of Technology.

His publishing record includes 15 sole-authored books, 11 co-edited books, and 150 chapters, articles, and reviews. Prior to his appointment at UBC, he was a Professorial Fellow in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning of the University of Melbourne. Professor Friedmann's current research focus is on processes of urbanization, particularly in China.

His most recent books include Empowerment: A Theory of Alternative Development (1993), Cities for Citizens: Planning and the Rise of Civil Society (with Mike Douglass) (1996), The Prospect of Cities (2002), and China’s Urban Transition (2005). Friedmann is married to Leonie Sandercock. He was awarded his PhD in 1955 from the University of Chicago, and is widely regarded as the most authoritative living planning writer on sustainable international development.

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