Nicole Bennett

Urban Planner/Equity Strategist, VHB

Nicole Bennett, AICP, was born and raised in Bertie County, North Carolina. Growing up in the rural, northeastern part of the state, she witnessed firsthand the stark socioeconomic divides often correlated with race. These formative experiences deeply influenced her understanding of disparities and inequity.

Nicole earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's degree in Planning with a concentration in Housing, Real Estate Finance, and Community Development from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For her Master's project, she developed a land trust model for the Town of Chapel Hill to address affordable housing challenges faced by university employees.

Currently, Nicole leads equity strategy at VHB—a role she pioneered. In this position, she helps teams incorporate equity into their projects by acknowledging and addressing disparities caused by historical policies and practices. She also assists teams in developing actionable strategies to protect vulnerable communities and ensure their sustainable economic, environmental, and social well-being. Whether integrating health equity into transportation projects or crafting affordable housing and anti-displacement policies for neighborhoods under development pressure, Nicole is fully dedicated to equity frameworks.

Equity is more than just a profession for Nicole; it’s the essence of who she is. Many of her volunteer commitments aim to dismantle inequitable systems and inspire young planners to do the same. At VHB, she co-leads the Mid-Atlantic Equity Team. She is also a founding member and former scholarship chair of the WTS (Women in Transportation) Triangle Chapter. She serves as the second vice president in the newly created COMTO (Congress of Minority Transportation Officials) North Carolina chapter and sits on COMTO’s national Legislative Advisory Council, advocating for transportation equity in federal programs and policies. Nicole is also active in the American Planning Association (APA) as well. She contributed to the development of the organization’s Planning for Equity Policy Guide while serving on the Legislative Committee, and she is currently in her second term on APA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. 

A Raleigh resident for nearly thirty years, Nicole is deeply committed to making Raleigh a community where all can thrive and afford to have safe, decent housing. She is in her third term on the Raleigh Planning Commission, where she consistently champions equity. In her first year, she played a crucial role in integrating equity considerations into rezoning cases and comprehensive plan policies.

Beyond her professional and community roles, Nicole is the proud mother of Joseph, a first-year student at Wake Technical Community College, and Zoë, a senior at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.