Jonathan Howes (c. 1937 – May 31, 2015) was an American politician and urban planner. He served as the Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1970 until 1993. Howes began his political career as an elected member of the Chapel Hill Town Council from 1975 to 1987. He was then elected Mayor of Chapel Hill for two consecutive terms from 1987 to 1991.