Housing

Richard Dattner FAIA founded the firm Dattner Architects in 1964. He attended the Architectural Association of London and received his Bachelor of Architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has taught design at Cooper Union, City College of New York and University of Wisconsin and has often been a visiting design critic and lecturer. He was Vice President of the AIA New York Chapter, former trustee of the City Club of New York, and served on the board of the Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment National Research Council and the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission. Richard received the 1992 Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter. He received 1994 Thomas Jefferson Award from the American Institute of Architects in recognition of the significant contributions to public architecture. He is the author of Design for Play (Van Nostrand/Reinhold, 1969) and Civil Architecture - The New Public Infrastructure (McGraw-Hill 1995).

Mark E. Ginsberg, FAIA, LEED AP is a founding partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, leading award-winning residential, institutional and urban design projects, which range from multi-family developments to institutional and mixed-use projects. Mark manages new construction, planning and urban design and housing projects. A registered architect in New York, New Jersey and Connecticuit, Mark received a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater design and government from Wesleyan University. Mark is a past President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter, a former chair and current member of the Housing and Planning and Urban Design Committees, and a past director of AIA New York State.

Alexander Gorlin Architects is an internationally recognized design firm that for the past two decades has actively sought to embrace a highly diverse range of clients. WIth a portfolio spanning from high-end residences to affordable housing, places of worship to educational institutions, Alexander Gorlin Architects applies the same design excellence to each project. The firm has won numerous awards, most notably AIA Design Awards for the House in the Rocky Mountains, Ruskin Place townhouse, North Shore Hebrew Academy, and the Southampton House. In 2005, Architectural Digest recognized Mr. Gorlin as one of the country's 30 Deans of Designs. The firm was established in 1987 after Mr. Gorlin returned from a Rome Prize Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. A graduate of the Cooper Union School of Architecture and The Yale School of Architecture - where he taught as a critic from 1980-92 - Mr. Gorlin became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2005.

Gregory Haley AIA AICP LEED AP is a Senior Project Manager and Project Lead with Henning Larsen’s NYC studio. He has taught architectural design studios at NJIT, NYIT, and the Boston Architectural Center, and has been a guest critic or lecturer at Harvard, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, CCNY, Parsons, Pratt Institute. Gregory received his Masters of Architecture in Urban Design from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, and his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Minnesota. He is the board president of the Harvard Alumni Architectural and Urban Society, and part of the leadership for the Urban Design committees within the NYC chapters of both the AIA and the APA. He is also a design resource team member for the Mayors' Institute on City Design.

Born in Puerto Rico, Jonathan Marvel is an architect and urban designer with over 30 years of experience providing architectural planning, community, economic and sustainable development of public spaces, educational institutions, single and multi-family housing, libraries, museums and large-scale mixed-use developments. He is Founding Principal of Marvel Architects with offices in New York and San Juan. Jonathan, who graduated with distinction from Dartmouth College and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, teaches at Pratt Institute’s Graduate School of Planning and Placemaking, and has taught as an adjunct at Harvard, Parsons, Rice University, Washington University, and Syracuse. In 2018, Jonathan spoke on behalf of solar energizing 100% of Puerto Rico by 2030 at TEDx Dartmouth, The Architectural League, AIA Puerto Rico, UMass Club, Colegio de Arquitectos de Puerto Rico, Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico, and the Universitario Tecnológico de Bayamón Presidential Keynote. Jonathan is the recipient of national and international design awards including a 2019 Presidential Citation by the National American Institute of Architects, is co-chair of the NYAIA Planning and Urban Design Committee and sits on the boards of The Buckminster Fuller Institute and The Isamu Noguchi Museum. Jonathan has contributed essays on museums, public community spaces, and micro housing, and is also the founder of Truck Product Architecture, Rock 12 Security Architecture, and Citizen Designer, a participatory planning listening and advocacy effort.

Joe Rose directs Rose Urban Strategies in New York City. He was previously a partner in The Georgetown Company, a privately held real estate development firm. Prior to joining Georgetown, Mr. Rose served for eight years as Chairman of the New York City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning. While there, he initiated a broad range of strategic initiatives including extensive rezonings throughout the city which spurred a tripling of the city’s annual housing production.

Mr. Rose has held teaching positions at the Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and the Robert Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and has lectured at the Harvard School of Design, the Yale University School of Architecture, Princeton University, NYU Law School, and the Urban Land Institute. His publications include articles in The Public Interest, The New York Times, The New Republic, The City Journal, and The Journal of the American Planning Association.

William Ryall AIA, LEED is a Principal of Ryall Porter Sheridan Architects, a firm specializing in new construction, renovations of existing spaces, additions to historic structures, and interior design. Mr. Ryall attended Cornell University for his undergraduate architectural studies and received a Master of Architecture Degree from the University of Virginia, where he serves on the architecture school's Advisory Board. Mr. Ryall has participated in numerous architectural juries and has taught integrated Building Systems at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Jeffrey Shumaker is Director of Urban Planning for BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. Previously, he served as Director of Urban Planning and Design for KPF and Chief Urban Designer for the New York City Department of City Planning. Serving New York City for ten years, he worked to ensure a high level of design quality on projects and helped shape plans for neighborhoods as diverse as East Midtown in Manhattan, Coney Island in Brooklyn and Hunters Point South in Queens. Mr. Shumaker also worked extensively on the implementation of many of the city-wide initiatives coming out of PlaNYC and now OneNYC.

Prior to his role in public service, Mr. Shumaker garnered more than 12 years of experience working in the private sector for a variety of architecture and planning firms. Jeffrey holds dual Master’s Degrees in Architecture, Planning and Urban Design from MIT and a Bachelor of Architecture with Honors from Syracuse University. Jeffrey often lectures on design and has received numerous awards for his work from the APA and AIA including the 2016 Public Architect Award from the AIA New York Chapter and DCP’s Michael Weil Award, recognizing excellence in urban design in the public realm.

James von Klemperer is President and Design Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates where he began as a young architect in 1983. His work ranges in scale from a house to a city, and he contributes closely to these efforts from conception to completion. In addition to focusing on his own projects, he leads the community of designers within the firm in exploring shared architectural agendas and goals. As President of the firm, he is responsible for leading the staff of 550 people in 6 offices around the world.

A major focus of Jamie’s work has been to heighten the role that large buildings play in making urban space. He has explored this theme in major projects in Asia including the China Resources Headquarters in Shenzhen, Plaza 66 and the Jing An Kerry Centre in Shanghai, China Central Place in Beijing, and the 123-story Lotte World Tower in Seoul. In New York, his design for One Vanderbilt will link Midtown's tallest tower directly to Grand Central Terminal. Each of these projects creates strong symbiotic relationships between program space and the public realm. At the larger scale, his design for New Songdo City extends this challenge to the scope of urban planning.

Jamie’s designs have been recognized for the marriage of efficient program with adventurous form. His Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC, Dongbu Financial Center in Seoul, Park Fifth residential project in Los Angeles, and Riverside 66 urban market in Tianjin have all received AIA design awards.

In London, Jamie is leading the design of the Wanda hotel and residential towers in One Nine Elms. He is also active on the continent, in particular in Paris, where he is completing a building for the Ministry of Justice at the Parc du Millénaire and in Lyon where he is designing a series of buildings within the Part Dieu station precinct.

Jamie has lectured at Harvard, Columbia, Tsinghua, Tongji, Seoul National, and Yonsei Universities, the ESA in Paris, AMO in Lyon, and at Yale, where he taught as a Saarinen Visiting Professor. He recently spoke at the fourth Nobel Laureates Symposium on Global Sustainability, hosted in Hong Kong. After graduating from Phillips Academy Andover, he received a BA from Harvard in 1979, Magna Cum Laude in History and Literature. In 1980 he was the Charles Henry Fiske Fellow at Trinity College Cambridge. He received his MArch from Princeton in 1983. Jamie serves on the Board of Directors of the Skyscraper Museum, the Storefront for Art and Architecture, as well as the Urban Design Forum. Jamie is also a Trustee of Bard College.

Carol Willis is the founder, director, and curator of The Skyscraper Museum. An architectural and urban historian, she has researched, taught, and written about the history of American city building. She is the author of Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago (Princeton Architectural Press, 1995: 2008), which received an AIA book award and was named "Best Book on North American Urbanism, 1995" by the Urban History Association.
Ms. Willis is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Columbia University where since 1989 she has taught in the program The Shape of Two Cities: New York and Paris in The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning. From 1979 to 1991 she taught courses on the history of architecture at Parsons School of Design in New York and for eleven summers conducted walking tours on the history of French architecture for Parsons in Paris.

A 1966 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Urban Planning from New York University in 1968, Mr. Brodsky worked for the Hudson River Valley Commission before joining his late father, Nathan, in 1971 at the family-owned, New York City-based real estate and development firm, The Brodsky Organization, where he is now Managing Partner. In leading his business, Mr. Brodsky has emphasized a principled and sensitive approach to development and community investment.

Mr. Brodsky now serves as the Chair of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is a member of the Boards of Directors of the New York City Ballet, the Lincoln Center Development Project, Inc., and New York University Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Real Estate Board of New York, where he is Vice Chair of the Executive Committee.

Drew Lang is the founding principal of Lang Architecture. He received a Master of Architecture from Yale University, and is licensed as an architect in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Louisiana.

Drew leads the studio and establishes the design direction for all projects. He works closely with design teams and with our clients to craft each project with great care and deliberation, and ultimately create buildings and spaces with enduring presence.

Born in New Orleans, Drew was influenced by the role of history and culture in the formation of place, architecture and daily life. Drew has ultimately embraced a progressive approach to architecture and the language of modernity infused with the spirit, texture and history of place.

Active within the communities of both New York and New Orleans, Drew founded a New Orleans based 501c3 non-profit organization, the Faubourg St. Roch Project. In New York, Drew is a member of the Forum for Urban Design, the Van Alen Institute and the US Green Building Council.

Jonathan Drescher is President of Plaxall Realty and is responsible for the redevelopment of Anable Basin. Prior to joining Plaxall, Jonathan was Senior VP at the Durst Organization where he supervised the analysis, planning, design, and construction of commercial, residential, retail, and institutional projects. Projects included mixed-use, residential and educational development: The New School University Center, VIA 57 West, EOS, and Halletts Point. Jonathan holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from UCLA and graduated cum laude from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., with a B.A. in Economics. He is a registered architect in New York and a LEED Accredited Professional. Jonathan is an active member of several boards, including the board of the New York League of Conservation Voters and the Board of Governors for the New York Building Foundation.

An urban planner and designer by training and practice, Jennifer is responsible for the design and implementation of strategic plans with respect to ERA’s Urban Systems group. This includes the consideration of community outreach and engagement strategies, research initiatives, and analyses for projects related to cities, infrastructure, and population health. Through her work, Jennifer seeks to integrate value through all stages of the design process, in particular, visioning, master planning and design, community engagement, and evaluation, through the analysis of urban strategy, spatial configurations, and urban frameworks. Based in New York City for 18 years, Jennifer has cultivated a diverse experience in project
typologies, geographic locations, and unique experiences to conceptualizing, designing, and realizing projects in the built environment. She is unafraid to ask bold questions that challenge conventional ways of looking at the world.

David J. Burney, FAIA, is Associate Professor of the Pratt Institute, where he leads the Placemaking and Public Space management program. Previously, he served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Design and Construction from 2004-2013, where he managed capital projects for a variety of City agencies including the Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection; and for the many cultural institutions that receive capital funds. At Mayor Bloomberg's direction, David Burney launched a City-wide "Design and Construction Excellence Initiative" with the goal of raising the quality of design and construction of public works throughout New York City. Prior to joining DDC, Mr. Burney was Director of Design and Capital Improvement at the New York City Housing Authority. From 1982 to 1990 Mr. Burney practiced architecture with Davis Brody & Associates where he was involved in a variety of projects. Mr. Burney was educated at the Heriott-Watt University in Edinburgh and at the University of London.

Abby Hamlin is a New York City based real estate developer and civic thinker. In 1998, she founded Hamlin Ventures, which today, remains one of a handful of successful woman-owned development companies. Recently, the New York Times credited her eponymous company as the catalyst for a resurgence of townhouse development in Brooklyn, noting that the design of her two projects, 14 Townhouses and 9 Townhouses “set the bar high” for those who followed.

Prior to forming Hamlin Ventures Ms. Hamlin was President of Swig Weiler & Arnow Mgt. Co., Inc. a premiere Manhattan-based commercial real estate company that developed, owned and managed 8 million square feet of office properties in New York City and San Francisco, as well as the Fairmont Hotels. She worked with Swig Weiler & Arnow for almost fifteen years, spearheading a number of large-scale development projects and managing the organization for its private owners.

An active civic leader, Ms. Hamlin is a member of the board of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and has led several of its key public design initiatives, including the CLS BID Vision Plan (a streetscape plan for Downtown Brooklyn), and “Re-Imagining the Wall,” a design competition that brought works by community arts groups (Groundswell), emerging and recognized artists (Steve Powers) to Downtown Brooklyn’s blank walls.

Recognized as an expert in the field of public design, Ms. Hamlin was a member of the board of the Van Alen Institute for Public Architecture from 2001-2010, and was its Chair from 2007-2010. As Chair she organized numerous public design events and design competitions including: Project Eco: Delta, Parks For The People, and Life at the Speed of Rail. Ms. Hamlin is a frequent participant in design juries. Most recently she served as a juror for the National Endowment For the Arts, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the City of New Rochelle and the Enterprise Community Foundation. This year she will serve as an advisor to the Mayor’s Institute of Design. At present, Ms. Hamlin is also a Trustee of Art Omi, an outdoor sculpture park and artist’s residency program in Ghent, New York, and a board member of Trainor Dance. She holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a Masters of Urban Planning from Princeton University.

Blake Middleton FAIA, LEED AP is a Partner with Handel Architects. He is Executive Architect for the Battery Conservancy's project for the New Amsterdam Plein/Pavilion. Mr. Middleton's work has won distinction with National and State AIA Awards for Inventure Place in Akron; a NY State AIA Citation for the Santa Fe Opera; numerous local and national design awards for the Flushing Natatorium & Ice Rink, the Ritz Carlton Residences in Boston, and a New York City AIA Chapter Award for Sulzberger Hall at Barnard College. Mr. Middleton holds his Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Cornell University. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects, a member of the U.S. Institute of Theater Technology, the Urban Land Institute, the Boston Society of Architects, the Van Alen Institute, The Society of Fellows of the American Academy in Rome, and the Architectural League of New York.

Mehul J. Patel has enjoyed a career in real estate and economic development spanning the public, private and non-profit sectors over the past two decades. Mehul is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Midtown Equities, a privately-held real estate investment and development company that maintains holdings in New York, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles as well as abroad.

Prior to joining Midtown Equities, Mehul was the Chief Operating Officer of Midwood Investment & Development which owns, develops and manages retail, office, residential, hotel and mixed-use properties in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Before joining Midwood, Mehul was the Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff at Empire State Development, New York State's real estate and economic development agency. Previously, as a Vice President of the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, Mehul worked with various public and private sector stakeholders to expand New York’s Penn Station into the historic James A. Farley Post Office Building. Prior to that, he was a Senior Project Manager at The Hudson Companies where he oversaw the development of J Condominium in DUMBO and was responsible for managing all aspects of the 33-story, 267-unit new construction project. And before joining Hudson, Mehul was a Senior Analyst at HR&A Advisors, which specializes in real estate, economic development, and public policy consulting.

Mehul is currently a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, a Board Member of the Coro New York Leadership Center and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University teaching Public Private Partnerships in Real Estate Development. He also serves as a Director on the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation. Previously, Mehul served as President of the Columbia Real Estate Development Alumni Association, co-chair of the Yale Alumni Real Estate Association, and co-chair of the ULI New York Young Leaders Group. Mehul received a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Studies from Yale University and a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

Robert Garneau, a founding principal of Architecture Workshop PC, is an architect with over twenty years’ experience in a broad range of project types. The Award Winning design firm is based in NYC that provides Architecture and Interior Design services. Projects include high-end residential apartments as well as mixed-use and mixed-income buildings.
Prior to launching AWPC, Robert was an associate with the international firm of Grimshaw and a project architect at Kiss + Cathcart.
Projects have been recognized with over a dozen design awards and published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell Magazine, as well as featured on television and online media.
Robert is also part of the faculty at Columbia University and Pratt Institute. Robert has also been an invited critic at Yale, Parsons, NYU, City College and NYIT.
Robert holds degrees in Fine Arts, Environmental Studies and Architecture. He is an AIA member, USGBC member, a registered architect in New York State and a LEED accredited professional

Beth Greenberg has managed many of Dattner Architects’ most complex projects. A natural consensus-builder, she is skilled at navigating through the labyrinthine community and agency approvals process, working with multi-headed client groups, and leading large consultant teams for high-profile projects.

Her projects include the Columbia University Forum and Academic Conference Center, Metro East 99th Street, University of Pennsylvania Pottruck Health & Fitness Center, Hudson River Park Segments 6 and 7, and Number 7 Subway Line Extension.

Beth received her Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Science in French and Dance Education from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She has been with the firm since 1989 and became a Principal in 2000. Beth is a registered architect in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Texas and has NCARB certification. Beth has served on the board of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter as secretary, as chair of the Housing Committee, and as member of the Oculus Committee and the Nominating Committee. She has lectured for the Regional Plan Association, the AIA New York, and the New York State Office of General Services Minority Construction Management Intern Program. She was elevated to Fellowship in the AIA in 2015.

As a principal with O2 Planning + Design, Chris Hardwicke manages the firm’s Design Studio. He is a registered professional planner, a member of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada and an urban designer with over 20 years of experience. Chris is guided by the principle that urbanism is a vehicle of social change and renewal. This philosophy extends from the design of public places to embracing the broader principles of healthy cities.

His commitment to city building is internationally recognized through award winning projects such as the Waterfront Master Plan for Kaohsiung, Taiwan; exhibitions at the Dieppe Biennale, the Van Alen Institute in New York; and, publishers such as NAI Publishers, Monacelli Press, Princeton Press, Birkauser, and MIT Press.

He has directed over 100 design and planning studies across Canada that range in scale from the Centre Plan for Halifax to Museum Park at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. His experience includes city, regional, downtown, district, campus, and new community planning in addition to park, public space, and streetscape design.

As an accomplished facilitator and an inspiring speaker, Chris has spoken about healthy cities across North America, and abroad. Chris is highly regarded for his strategic and collaborative approach to complex urban projects – including charting and leading the public engagement process and helping to bring together diverse public agencies and stakeholders around a shared vision.

Gregg Pasquarelli is one of five founding principals of SHoP Architects. He worked as an investment banker at Citicorp before going back to school to train as an architect. Pasquarelli has taught at Yale University, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the University of Virginia, and the University of Florida. He serves on the board of directors for the Architectural League of New York and is a Young Leader’s Fellow of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Pasquarelli received a master of architecture degree from Columbia University and a BS from Villanova University School of Business.

Justin Garrett Moore is an urban designer and the executive director of the New York City Public Design Commission. He has extensive experience in urban design and city planning—from large-scale urban systems, policies, and projects to grassroots and community-focused planning, design, and arts initiatives. At the Public Design Commission his work is focused on prioritizing the quality and excellence of the public realm, and fostering accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the City’s public buildings, spaces, and art.

Justin is a former Senior Urban Designer for the NYC Department of City Planning where, for over a decade, he was responsible for conducting complex urban design plans and studies of the physical design and utilization of sites including infrastructure, public spaces, land use patterns and neighborhood character. His projects included the Greenpoint and Williamsburg Waterfront, Hunter’s Point South, the Coney Island Plan and the Brooklyn Cultural District. He received degrees in both architecture and urban design from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation where he is now an Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture in the urban design and urban planning programs.

He is the co-founder of Urban Patch, a social enterprise based in Indianapolis that focuses on community revitalization and design in American inner cities. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Planners, the Urban Design Forum, and Next City’s Vanguard. In addition to ioby, he also serves as a board member for Mary Miss—City as Living Laboratory, and Made in Brownsville.

Daniel Marks Cohen joined the NYC Housing Partnership in the Spring of 2014. He oversees the pipeline of existing and prospective real estate business as well as directs development of affordable housing and financing for private developers. He also underwrites all affordable housing transactions, coordinates and interfaces with local officials, government agencies and private developers, and supervises project managers. Before joining the NYC Housing Partnership, Mr. Cohen founded Burlingham Capital Partners – an investment firm dedicated to principal investments in affordable and market rate housing, as well as offering real estate development consulting. Prior to that Mr. Cohen served as a Mortgage Officer at the Community Preservation Corporation, which offers construction and permanent financing to housing owners and developers. He had also previously worked for ING Clarion Partners, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and The Hudson Companies, an affordable and market-rate housing developer. Mr. Cohen received his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and he is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Grant Marani, Partner, joined Robert A.M. Stern Architects in 1984 and has been a Partner with the firm since 2000. His responsibilities have included the design and management of a broad range of projects: federal courthouses, institutional buildings, mixed-use and residential developments, resort hotels, golf clubhouses, a concert hall, a university recreational facility, and private residences in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Maine, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Virginia, Hawaii, Canada, France, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. He is co-author of the monograph Designs for Living: Houses by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (2014). Currently, Mr. Marani is the Project Partner for the Georgia State Judicial Complex in Atlanta and for the master plan and design of a number of residential communities in China.

Mr. Marani, a graduate of the University of Melbourne (B.Arch., 1979) and Cornell University (M.Arch., 1984), is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Architectural League of New York, the Skyscraper Museum, and the Storefront for Art and Architecture. He has lectured on courthouse design for the Academy of Architecture for Justice.

From 1989 to 2001, Mr. Marani served as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Design on the faculty at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, where he directed the second-year housing studio. He has also served as a guest critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Yale School of Architecture. In 2002 Mr. Marani served as a peer reviewer for the New York City Department of Design and Construction. Mr. Marani currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of Southern California American Academy in China, the Education Committee of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City and the International Area Committee of the Australian Institute of Architects. In 2015 he served as Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects' International Architecture Awards Jury. Mr. Marani also served as a trustee for the Grace Church School in New York.

Mr. Marani's work has been published in Architecture Australia, A+U, Progressive Architecture, Oculus, Architecture, Architectural Digest, Builder, Metropolis, and Newsweek.

Prior to joining Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Mr. Marani worked for Edward Durell Stone, Architects, New York, and with Edmond & Corrigan, Architects and Urban Designers, Melbourne, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. Mr. Marani is a registered architect in the State of New York and other jurisdictions, and NCARB certified.

Mary Elizabeth Rusz, AIA is a Senior Architect and Urban Designer with the Office of Design, of the New York City Housing Authority. She has been the design lead for a number of large scale, urban revitalization projects under both the HUD Choice Neighborhood Initiative and the prior HOPE VI Program. She is currently the Project Manager for the Historic Preservation Study of the NYC Housing Authority's entire development portfolio, in support of a Programmatic Agreement with the NY State Historic Preservation Office.

Ms. Rusz is a graduate of Columbia University, GSAPP [M.S.A.U.D.], and the University of Toronto, Faculty of Architecture [B.Arch.], including study abroad at Paris’ Unité Pedagogiques d’Architecture Six.

Ms. Rusz is a long standing member of the American Institute of Architecture - New York Chapter’s Housing Committee, and the City Club of New York’s Urban Design Committee. She is also an avid Watercolorist [See website: "Watercolor Works"], and an active Member of both the National Association of Women Artists, and The Salmagundi Club of New York.

In 2015, Ms. Rusz founded TORONTO - NEW YORK, a new platform by which designers of these two great cities may share innovations and best practices with the common goal of enhancing the built environment [akin to the UDF's NEW YORK - LONDON exchange]. The first exchange, on the topic of HOUSING, was held at the AIA NY Chapter, in Taffel Hall, on September 26, 2016. It is hoped that TORONTO - NEW YORK will become a more integrated activity in future with the UDF.

In 2017, Ms. Rusz will embark on an abbreviated "Grand Tour" as a travel / study program through Italy, to document seminal works of Architecture and Urbanism, in order to prepare a "primer for young designers". This document will be focused on High School Students who may be considering studying the design professions in College / University; the content and format of this primer will be developed in conjunction with the AIA NY Chapter's Center for Architecture.

Mr. Rui Qian holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Harvard GSD, and a Master of Urban Design degree from TCAUP, University of Michigan. Mr. Qian was recently nominated as the International Research Associate of National Research Center of Rural Planning and Development of China. Along with that, he has been serving as the VP of UM Beijing Alumni Association, in charge of bridging Sino-US institutions. He has worked as an urban designer with Cooper Robertson and Partners, Goody Clancy and Associates and China Sustainability Center of AECOM Beijing Office. He also serves as the overseas editor for several professional magazines in China.

Louise Carroll is Associate Commissioner for Housing Incentives at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). She was previously Assistant Commissioner for Inclusionary Housing and, prior to that, Associate General Counsel for Tax Incentives and Inclusionary Housing at HPD. Ms. Carroll is part of the team that wrote the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program that was approved by the City Planning Commission on February 3, 2016, and was also part of the team that wrote the 2009 changes to the Inclusionary Housing provisions of the New York City Zoning Resolution. She also drafted the current inclusionary housing rules. In 2014, Ms. Carroll successfully streamlined the Inclusionary Housing program to produce record numbers of affordable housing units (3,000 plus units of housing in fiscal year 2015, more than double the best year since the IH program’s 1987 inception). She has advised and closed on millions of dollars of inclusionary housing transactions. In April 2016, Ms. Carroll was awarded the Ibo Balton Community Planner award by the Citizens Housing Planning Council. Ms. Carroll holds a JD from Tulane Law School, an MBA from the University of Leicester, England, and a B.Sc. from the University of Wales at Aberystwyth.

Alice Shay is a city planner and urban designer with at BuroHappold. Previously, Alice was at Bloomberg Associates Urban Planning, where she contributed to the team’s full range of strategic planning and public realm projects including waterfront infrastructure, public space redevelopment and land use instruments.

Previously, Alice worked with WXY Architecture and Urban Design, an architecture and planning firm that works closely with government agencies and private stakeholders on public realm projects. Alice also consulted for the UN-HABITAT City Development Strategies program in Indonesia with Solo Kota Kita (SKK). With the support of AECOM, Alice and SKK used a participatory charrette process to create Firm Foundation, a waterfront public space, for a low-income neighborhood in Banjarmasin. Documenting the process with SKK, Alice co-authored the Firm Foundation Social Design Field Guide.

Alice exhibited at the 2013 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in Hong Kong, conducted research in residence at the Strelka Institute in Moscow in 2012 and has consulted on public realm strategies in London. Alice has a B.A. from Brown University and a Master in City Planning from MIT.

Stefan Al is an architect, urban designer, scholar, educator, and author, currently serving as Associate Professor of Urban Design at the University of Pennsylvania.

In his research, Professor Al aims to understand contemporary issues in architecture and urbanism, such as compact city form, urbanization in developing countries, new forms of consumerism, and adapting cities to climate change. His recent sole-authored book The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream (The MIT Press) investigates the city’s experiments with architecture and branding. He is acclaimed for his work on Asian urbanism with published books investigating China’s informal settlements and Hong Kong’s compact urban form, including Factory Towns of South China, Villages in the City, Mall City, and Macau and the Casino Complex. He co-authored the book Beyond Mobility, making the case to connect people with places through transit-oriented development. His latest research is focused on designing compact and more resilient cities, most notably in his forthcoming book Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise. Besides his academic publications, his work has been featured in influential media outlets including The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Marketplace, and Dezeen.

Stephen Fan is an adjunct assistant professor in the art history and architectural studies department at Connecticut College. His research focuses on user-centered, evidenced-based design informed by psychology and anthropology. He is the curator and editor of SubUrbanisms: Casino Urbanization, Chinatowns, and the Contested American Landscape, which has received awards from the Vernacular Architecture Forum, American Planning Association, among others. He has lectured on topics such as peripheral urbanization, crowding, and informal suburbs, including at Columbia University, Hong Kong University, National University of Singapore, UCLA, and Yale.
His work has been featured in Architectural Record, The Atlantic's City Lab, Metropolis, Next City, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Shinkenchiku, Urban Omnibus, and the World Journal.
Stephen holds a Masters in Architecture and Bachelors Degree from Harvard University, where he has also taught art history. He serves on the Board of the VAF New England Chapter.

Lindsey Realmuto, MPH is a Senior Project Director in the Center for Evaluation and Applied Research. Lindsey has worked on multiple projects while at the Academy, including research and evaluation focused on diabetes prevention, environmental approaches to asthma control in children, health impacts of affordable housing, community engagement for hospital decision-making, and community resilience and recovery. Prior to joining NYAM, Lindsey worked as a Planner with Cameron Engineering & Associates. Before moving to the New York area, she worked as a Health Program Planner with the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Program on Health, Equity and Sustainability and as an Environmental Health Analyst with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Lindsey holds an MPH from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a BA in Latin American Studies from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

AJ has been practicing real estate development in New York City since 2004. He started his career as a project manager for Peter Walker & Partners on the World Trade Center Memorial in downtown Manhattan. In 2007, AJ became a founding member of Alloy Development, a boutique real estate development company based in Brooklyn, NY. At Alloy, AJ manages the acquisition, capitalization, design, construction and disposition of projects that seek to promote thoughtful design and add value to the built environment of New York City.

AJ received a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst Collect and a Masters of Architecture and Certificate in Real Estate from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught and lectured in the fields of real estate development and design at Syracuse University, Columbia University, New York University, University of Pennsylvania and Parsons. AJ servers on the board of Community Bank Delaware, is a member of ULI and a supporter of the Architecture League of New York. He is a Licensed Architect, a LEED Accredited Professional and a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson. AJ lives with his wife and two children in Brooklyn, New York.

Carlos Arnaiz is an architect, educator, writer and urban designer. He is the CEO & co-founder of SURBA, the founder and principal of CAZA and an adjunct assistant professor at the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design at Pratt Institute, where he teaches a class on the history of ideas about the city, a design studio on multi-family housing and a seminar on contemporary architectural aesthetics. His professional experience ranges from the design and construction of large-scale mixed-used complexes to the development of strategic sustainability plans for cities around the world such as Bonifacio High Street South, Lio Beach Township, Ningbo Waterfront Center and the Taichung Gateway Zone. He is a recipient of the prestigious Wheelwright Fellowship and has been
recognized with numerous awards, including the 50 under 50 leading innovators of the 21st century, two consecutive Progressive Architecture awards and the AIANY building merit award. Carlos lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons.

Keiko uses her interdisciplinary training to provide a unique perspective to her work. With nearly two decades of experience and degrees in landscape architecture, architecture, and engineering, her projects have included Paseo Verde in Philadelphia, the Hoover-Mason Trestle in Bethlehem, PA and SteelStacks Park, for which she is Project Designer. In addition, Keiko maintains her architectural license in Japan, and has worked on numerous projects abroad including the Daiichi Mutual Life Insurance Office Landscape in Kanagawa.

Matthew Gordon Lasner studies the history and theory of the U.S. built environment, with particular focus on housing, and the relationship between housing patterns and urban and suburban form. Lasner’s first book, High Life: Condo Living in the Suburban Century, published by Yale University Press in 2012, examines the emergence and growth of co-owned multifamily housing – the co-op and condominium apartment, as well as the townhouse complex — as an alternative to single-family suburbia in the twentieth century. Lasner is also co-editor of Affordable Housing in New York: The People, Places, and Policies That Transformed a City, published by Princeton University Press in 2015. His research focuses on housing, urban renewal, and urban development engages planning and the social sciences, cultural landscape studies and geography, and urban and architectural history.

He earned his PhD in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and holds an MS in urban and regional planning studies from the London School of Economics. He earned his BA in urban studies at Columbia. Before joining Hunter, Lasner was an assistant professor of history at Georgia State University, in Atlanta.

Navid Maqami is a cofounder and a design principal of S9 Architecture. His architecture is rooted in "modern contextualism", where sensitivity to contextual forces fuse with the pragmatic needs of a project to develop design narratives blurring lines between architecture, urbanism, landscape and art. With over 30 years of experience, Navid leads teams of talented designers and architects on diverse projects, from large scale mixed-use developments to small interiors. His passion for better design coupled with his expertise analyzing social, economic and regulatory parameters, and working with developers and end users has resulted in an extensive portfolio of award-winning projects including the New York Wheel, Dock72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Lansdowne Park in Ottawa and 205 Water Street in Dumbo. Navid received his architectural degree from the Architectural Association in London.

MaryAnne Gilmartin is president and chief executive officer of Forest City Ratner Companies, the New York office of Forest City Realty Trust, Inc.

Gilmartin has been point person in the development of some of the most high-profile real estate projects in New York City, including Pacific Park Brooklyn, The New York Times Building and New York by Gehry. In addition to these projects, Gilmartin has managed the commercial portfolio at MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn.

Gilmartin graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Fordham University, where she also completed her Master’s Degree.

She served proudly for more than seven years on the New York City Ballet Advisory Board. Currently, Gilmartin serves as a board trustee for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a member of the executive committee and board of governors of the Real Estate Board of New York, and as a member of the Industry Advisory Board of the MS Real Estate Development Program at Columbia University. Most recently, she was named co-chair of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a member of the board of directors of the Jefferies Group LLC, a global investment banking firm, and a member of the board of trustees of New York Public Radio.

Gilmartin has been recognized as a top professional in her field, earning the Woman of the Year honor in 2007 from WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate. In addition, she was made multiple appearances on Crain’s New York Business’s annual list of New York’s 50 Most Powerful Women.

Beatrice Sibblies is the managing partner of BOS Development, a real estate development firm based in Harlem, New York. Formed in 2005, the firm has a unique development approach as a community-focused developer. BOS Development aims to develop the spectrum of projects necessary for a vibrant community – including residential, religious, cultural, educational, hospitality and commercial developments.

In her leadership of BOS Development, she brings to bear a track record of innovation. In its debut transaction, BOS Development successfully developed 88 Morningside, a 74-unit residential cooperative apartment on a 99-year ground lease from a church which concurrently expanded and renovated the church's facilities. Following on the success of the 88 Morningside project, she is actively developing church-anchored projects in the Central Harlem core and Sugar Hill.

Prior to forming BOS Devlopment, Ms. Sibblies had a successful career in finance at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley and also served as Assistant Vice President for Economics for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

Purnima Kapur is the Executive Director of New York City Department of City Planning. The Department promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City. Under the Mayor deBlasio's Housing New York Plan, Ms. Kapur is spearheading the Department's coordinated, ground up neighborhood planning studies and regulatory changes to promote more economically diverse communities and housing opportunities for New Yorkers at all income levels.

As Principal, Jack works with public and private clients to create vibrant, sustainable cities. He brings a design-oriented approach and international experience to creatively solving complex challenges, with a keen understanding of the designer's responsibility to the public.

Jack was convinced of his future as an architect from a young age. With an undergraduate foundation in visual arts and literature from Harvard University, he received his Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture. Travel has also been formative for Jack, who grew up in various cities and began his architecture career working in Hong Kong.

Jack has lead mixed-use development projects, spanning urban infrastructure, transportation, multi-family residential developments, and large-scale master plans. An active voice in the wider design community, he teaches in the Real Estate program at NYU, frequently speaks at conferences and symposia, and his writing has appeared in Architectural Record, World Architecture, and the New York Times.

G is a Neighborhood Planner at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where she conducts community-based planning to ensure that new housing is coordinated with essential infrastructure and services to support diverse, more equitable, and livable neighborhoods. She authored a metro-wide study on how to better recruit and retain diversity in the planning profession and also provides consulting services. She holds a MSc in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute and is a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow.

Alison Von Glinow is co-founder and design partner of Kwong Von Glinow Design Office. Her office has won the 2017 New York Affordable Housing Challenge and was awarded the 2016 Chicago Prize by the Chicago Architecture Club. Alison holds her Masters in Architecture from Harvard University GSD and has previously worked for Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland and SOM in both Chicago and New York.

Vincent is Grimshaw's Group Managing Partner. He has been with Grimshaw since 1996 and has played an instrumental role in the expansion of the practice while maintaining a commitment to the quality, rigor and reputation for excellence that Grimshaw is known for. He established the firm's New York office in 2001 and was instrumental in securing the AIA New York Chapter's Medal of Honor Award in 2015.

Vincent has led many of the practice's most notable commissions in North America including Via Verde - the Green Way, the winning entry in the New Housing New York competition, and Horno3: Museo del Acero, the adaptation of a historic blast furnace facility into Monterrey, Mexico's museum of steel. His focus on engineering and beauty is exemplified by the soaring atrium of Lower Manhattan's Fulton Center, opened in late 2014.

The revitalised transit hub is defined both by its increased ease of use and it's soaring atrium capped by Sky-Reflector Net, a clever public art installation that paints the sky across the building's interior while directing natural light deep into the station environment.

On the west coast of the United States, Vincent has guided a new master plan for Los Angeles Union Station and is deeply involved in planning and design for Pier 70, an emerging part of San Francisco.

Vincent is a graduate of Cambridge University and is a registered member of both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects.

Patrice Derrington is the Holliday Associate Professor and Director of the Real Estate Development Program at Columbia GSAPP. Prior, they taught for three years NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate. Derrington bridges the fields of education and real estate, and brings significant global experience as an executive and board director of numerous property companies to the critical tasks of educating students, integrating academe and industry, and building an innovative knowledge base for the real estate profession.

A recipient of the prestigious Harkness Fellowship, Derrington studied for their Ph.D. in architecture/civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, adding to their Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Architecture degree with First Class Honours and University Medal from the University of Queensland.

Their teaching career began at Carnegie Mellon University and MIT, and has been supplemented with over 12 years of real estate industry experience on Wall Street where they worked as an investment banker and advisor to major individual and institutional clients such as David Rockefeller, Keybank, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

Nader Tehrani became Dean of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture in July 2015. He is principal of NADAAA, a practice dedicated to the advancement of design innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and an intensive dialogue with construction practices. The firm has offices in Boston and New York City.

Dean Tehrani joins Cooper from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was professor of architecture and served as head of the Department of Architecture from 2010 to 2014. For over 25 years, he worked to motivate academic research to change practice and to test new protocols of practice in the context of academia. His own research targeted material culture as the basis for speculation—exploring material properties, negotiating materials and their geometric predispositions and challenging the means and methods of building processes. Working between the digital realm and the medium of full-scale mock-ups, he seeks to simulate and test alternative approaches towards tectonic studies. The work developed through a series of installations including “Fabricating Coincidences,” Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, 1998): “Immaterial/Ultramaterial,” Harvard University (2001); “Change of State,” Georgia Institute of Technology (2006), and “Catenary Compression,” Boston Society of Architects (BSA) Space (2015).

Richard joined Savills Studley to strengthen its development advisory practice. Working alongside brokerage teams company-wide, Richard provides consulting capabilities in land use, entitlement procedures, feasibility analysis, financial engineering, and public-private partnerships. His extensive background in the development and municipal arenas provides him with a keen understanding of the development process and how to strategically navigate through its complexities.

Richard has more than 20 year of experience in real estate development and consulting. 10 years were spent holding state and city appointed government offices, including serving as project manager for the Grand Central Terminal Redevelopment, executive director/CEO of Harlem CDC and deputy borough president of the Bronx. In addition, he has held numerous positions in the private and non-profit sectors, managing commercial projects and initiatives throughout New York City.

While at Savills Studley, Richard has advised numerous clients in site searches and dispositions of real estate, including the United States Postal Service, the City University of New York, the National Urban League, the National Jazz Museum of Harlem, numerous commercial clients.

Elise Wagner is a partner in the Land Use department at Kramer Levin, where she concentrates her practice in land use, zoning, environmental and historic preservation law. She has substantial experience counseling for-profit and nonprofit property owners on the planning and development of new buildings and the reuse of existing buildings. She has coordinated the public approval processes for major public-private development projects involving cooperation between private developers and agencies of New York City and the state. She has negotiated numerous multiparty transactions for the transfer of development rights, and has performed due diligence on the purchase and financing of major properties.

April De Simone has over 15 years of experience in strategically designing, developing and launching for-profit, non-profit and government projects. Continuing to advocate for social innovation, Ms. De Simone is co-creator of various for-purpose ventures and initiatives that promote market based solutions to address complex social challenges. A Dean Merit Scholar, she recently completed her Master of Science in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons the New School for Design. Ms. De Simone continues to be recognized for her leadership and dedication in supporting frameworks that promote a just and equitable society.

Nova Lucero is a Tenant Organizer at The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition working with tenants in the Bronx to create tenants associations and fight for better housing conditions for tenants across New York State. She previously worked with Northern Manhattan tenants and residents creating tenants associations and fighting the city proposed rezoning for Inwood, as well as an Eviction Prevention Case Manager and Housing Specialist in the South Bronx, with families facing eviction and currently living in the shelter system. Nova graduated from Fordham University with a B.A. in Political Science.

Emma Silverblatt works on the World Trade Center Performing Arts Center as a designer at REX. She believes an equitable society begins with Housing as a Human Right and that architecture is inherently political. Emma completed her Master’s thesis on low-income housing at the Harvard Graduate School of Design by creating a participatory development strategy with Picture the Homeless, a grassroots organization of homeless individuals, to promote their vision for permanently affordable housing in land-use discussions with local government.

Jolie Milstein is President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH), Executive Director of House New York Inc. and a Managing Member of Closing USA Affordable Housing, NYSAFAH's joint venture title insurance company.

Shay is the Founder and Managing Director of SASRE Properties. She has over 8 years of experience in commercial real estate acquisitions, underwriting, redevelopment, project management and the permitting process of multifamily, mixed use, infill, and new development assets in New York City, as well as 5 years of professional fundraising experience,

Tommy Craig is a senior managing director and has been the regional officer and partner responsible for Hines' New York Tri-State office since 1996. His responsibilities as senior project officer include managing the development, redevelopment, acquisition, construction, modification and/or interior fit-out on projects. Since joining Hines in 1982, Mr. Craig has been involved in a variety of development projects and transactions aggregating approximately 16 million square feet.

Adam Snow Frampton is an architect and the Principal of Only If, a New York City- based design practice for architecture and urbanism. Only If was founded in 2013 and is currently engaged in a range of projects, from the design of a single-family housing prototype to larger-scale urban planning, research and speculation.

Claudia Herasme is the Chief Urban Designer and Director of the Urban Design Division at New York City’s Department of City Planning. The Department of City Planning’s mission is to plan the future of the city of New York. One of the core values of the mission is a concern for the livability of New York City’s neighborhoods and quality of the urban design that shapes them. As the department works to advance comprehensive neighborhood planning and the review of land use applications, the urban design office is charged with providing a clear and consistent perspective and advocacy in all matters that will affect the public realm.

Zhang Xin is the co-founder and CEO of SOHO China, one of the largest prime office developers in China. A renowned business leader repeatedly ranked amongst the “World’s Most Powerful Women”, Zhang Xin is acclaimed for bringing cutting-edge international architects to design iconic landmarks for Beijing and Shanghai.

Digser is NYCHA’s Environmental Planner. She focuses on implementing environmental regulations for affordable development projects. Her passion for climate justice stems from her experiences at SUNY SBU Southampton. She joins the Forefront Fellows to advances the policies and local initiatives that aim to reduce environmental impacts and increase resiliency.

Lida believes in an urban future that is both resilient and just.  She leads HPD's neighborhood planning and climate adaptation in Rockaway, Queens. Previously, Lida led nation-wide urban resilience initiatives at The Trust for Public Land and managed public-private partnerships for community development in Arlington, VA.  She has presented internationally on cities, climate change and social equity.

Abraham’s work explores how architecture and urban design can cultivate community and influence policy. As a teacher and practitioner, his projects span scales and disciplines. He has explored atypical ways of working with experts outside of the design field, in an effort to go beyond traditional thinking and tackle some of the most pressing problems of our time.

As an architect and long-time resident of NYC, Eileen is dedicated to thoughtful design promoting a resilient, equitable and diverse city. She works on affordable and supportive housing at Dattner Architects, where she also leads the Urban Infrastructure subcommittee of Dattner’s Sustainable Practice Group. Eileen is a registered architect, a LEED AP, and she holds an M.Arch I from Columbia University.

Rhonda-Lee works at the Housing Specialist at Lantern Community Services where she manages housing transitions for young adults who have aged out of foster care. She is passionate about the role sustainability and environmental stewardship play in promoting livable urban communities for all New Yorkers. She earned her Master of Urban Planning from CUNY Hunter College.

Annemarie is currently an Assistant Vice President at NYCEDC, where she manages large-scale neighborhood planning projects. She has been an architect in New Orleans, a Fulbright Fellow in Rio de Janeiro, and a public housing planner in Cambridge, MA. She holds a degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters in City Planning from MIT.

Catherine is a registered architect with 3XN Architects working on urban scale and commercial and residential projects. Previously, Catherine worked at FXCollaborative Architects. Her design research focuses on developing intersectional and speculative design processes to address adaptability and resilience in the built environment as well as equity in urban space. As an educator, she has developed and taught curriculum focused on adaptive structural system, encouraging speculative and innovative design thinking.

Rebecca is the Senior Urban Design Manager at the NYC Public Design Commission (PDC). Her work is concentrated on policy and design review of architecture and urban design projects, with a focus on affordable housing, mixed-use developments, and urban systems. She manages PDC's Designing New York: Quality Affordable Housing initiative and is committed to promoting equitable and inclusive design through interdisciplinary collaboration. Her prior experience spans architecture and anthropology, where she has explored a continued interest in the intersection of planning, policy, and design of the built environment.

Polina is an experienced real estate/urban development professional working to leverage the market potential of our cities’ assets via public-private partnerships. Polina has built capacity and capital for small and MWBE businesses in Washington, DC and Newark, NJ, and recapitalized over 5,600 NYCHA apartments through HUD’s RAD initiative. 

Jhordan currently works as a designer at WXY where he engages with urban issues across multiple scales by borrowing a set of tools from planners, policy analysts, urban designers, and architects. Prior to WXY he worked with the Mona Social Services to plan the distribution of civil infrastructure to informal communities in Kingston, Jamaica. He is interested in the socio-economic dynamics of community and the role cooperative economic systems can play in building resilient communities.  

Jen is a Senior Project Manager at Alloy, with a career in leading design and architecture teams for large-scale, mixed-use projects in Brooklyn & NYC. Jen is a board member of the gender equity nonprofit Architexx, programming committee member for ULI’s Young Leaders Group, and instructor at Boston Architectural College.

Andrew is an Architectural Designer at Dattner. A native New Yorker, he is deeply invested in the rich cultural traditions of New York’s neighborhoods. Through sensitive design, Andrew aims to celebrate their significance and preserve their value for the community. He holds an M.Arch from Pratt Institute and a B.A. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys biking around the city, salsa dancing, and anything related to coffee.

Aden is an urban planner and artist. She serves as Senior Advisor in NYCHA’s Capital Projects Division, which carries out the Authority’s energy and sustainability programs. Aden is also a founding member of PublicWorks with The Public Theater, an arts-activist ensemble that seeks to put community at the heart of theater.

Kate is a Project Manager for Affordable Housing Development at Los Sures, a longstanding community organization in Williamsburg, where she leads the new construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing for Brooklyn residents. She is committed to integrating energy efficient and resilient design and technology into affordable housing to improve the public health of tenants and reduce operating costs. Kate has worked in several capacities as an urban planner and educator; she previously consulted on community engagement and economic development projects, connected with NYC youth as an environmental educator, and built green spaces with a landscape design/build firm. Kate currently organizes with APANYM Diversity Committee, where she engages young people in immersive workshops tackling urban planning issues.

Addison is an NYC-based Planner interested in the interaction of public policy, public space, art, and nightlife. At the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, he works closely with communities to ensure that housing investments are paired with infrastructure and services to promote equitable, livable places.