[5] He is a former member of the Minnesota Legislature, having served in both the state house (1991-2000) and senate (2001-2003)[6] and is the younger brother of Gary Orfield,[7] a political scientist at UCLA.

There he was the architect of a series of important changes in land use, fair housing, and school and local government aid programs.

[10] His first book, Metropolitics: A Regional Agenda for Community and Stability,[11] a study of local government structure and demographics, relates to these efforts.

[12] For over a decade, Orfield has been president of Ameregis, a national regional research firm undertaking studies involving the legal, demographic and land use profiles of various American metropolitan areas.

His second book, American Metropolitics: The New Suburban Reality,[13] is a compilation of his work involving the nation's 25 largest regions.