David Edwards is the Senior Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods in the Office of the Mayor in the City of Atlanta. He is also the Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Urban Research and a Professor of Practice in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Purpose Built Communities, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing distressed urban neighborhoods. Mr. Edwards also served as the Chief Policy Advisor for the City of Atlanta during the two terms of Mayor Shirley Franklin.