Chris Williamson

Chris is an independent contractor with a variety of analytical and communication skills gained from 40 years in academia, public and private sector planning and environmental analysis, and local to national level applied demography. He teaches Demography at Cal State University, Channel Islands with a focus on Census 2020 and recent changes in California Regional Housing Needs Assessment law. He was a Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Associate Research Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Southern California where he consulted to a wide range of governments and clients. Chris has nearly 20 years direct experience as a staff city planner in the coastal cities of Oxnard and Long Beach working with General Plan, housing elements, local coastal programs, entitlement and build out of large mixed use specific plans, stopping and removing coastal power plants, and preparing for Census 2000 and Census 2010. Chris’s 20 years of university teaching and research helps him communicate complex topics to decision makers and the public in a casual persuasive manner. Chris holds a PhD from the University of Southern California, a Master of Planning from the University of Virginia, and a BS in Geography from Penn State.

Courses taught by Chris Williamson

United States Census 2020: All About Census 2020

Learn all about the upcoming Census. This course provides an overview of planned operations and discusses the Census schedule, process, products, accuracy, publicity, and jobs.

85 Mins
AICP CM

United States Census 2020: Introduction

This course covers basic Census Bureau geography and Census-taking concepts. It reviews the Census Bureau’s mission and development of the nation’s statistical and geographic "architecture" that is the basis of almost all general purpose used in government, academia, and the business world.

74 Mins

United States Census 2020: Using FactFinder and the American Community Survey

Learn how to use Census.gov and American FactFinder websites, which are the principal portals to Census Bureau data products and maps.

79 Mins
AICP CM

Working with Census.gov 1: Background and Geography

This first of four courses on the Census -- Background and Geography -- will prime you to understand how the Census works, where the data comes from, as well as vital terminology and data sets you should be familiar with in the built environment.

77 Mins

Working with Census.gov 2: Topics, Programs, Products

This second of four courses delves deeper into the Census 'architecture'. In course 2 of "Working with Census.gov", Dr. Chris Williamson, a.k.a. Dr. Data, provides an overview on the federally mandated topics that lead to programs which ultimately produce products for the public. Course 2 also delves into such tricky topics as Census data table analysis and gives insider tips and goodies from a Census Bureau veteran.

75 Mins

Working with Census.gov 3: Interacting with the Data

This third of four courses takes you into a series of live demonstrations and in-depth explanations and visuals from the Census.gov and American FactFiner websites. The course covers a comprehensive navigation of the pages, tools and interactive databases that form the expansive Census website and publicly accessible data stores and produced information.

65 Mins

Working with Census.gov 4: Quality, Interpreting and Examples

Chris Williamson, A.K.A. "Dr. Data" completes the final episode in this four course series on the 'architecture' and 'analysis' of the Census Bureau and its many products. In course 4 students will go through a brief introduction to margin of error and a range of error and data quality analysis. Along with some examples and case studies, this course takes us into Dr. Data's own Ventura County, California for a look at some of the more challenging sampling and non-sampling errors many planners and demographers must wrestle with.

64 Mins