Expertise

Real Estate—the development of land into buildings shape the places we live, work, consume, and visit—and provides enormous opportunity and responsibility.

For this reason, we have built a real estate development practice to inform and guide sound investments by the private sector and developers in ways that are contributive to quality of place, as well as quality of life.

Cities are, first and foremost, composed of people, and the other systems in our cities—be they buildings, real estate, transportation—are meant to serve us.

Our community development practice focuses on meaningful public outreach and engagement. We seek to create an environment in which participation and feedback are encouraged, where listening and learning run deep, and where hard conversations are not avoided.

The economy is the lifeblood that makes other things possible and it is constantly changing. Our economic development practice studies the foundations that lead to economic growth, including investments in research, education, and infrastructure, as well as what that growth can lead to, if policy is properly shaped. These elements that enable us as individuals and communities to live more stable and prosperous lives.

Policy is rarely understood or talked about directly, but shapes every aspect of how we live. A good policy discussion asks the question, “What kind of community do we want to be?”, and lays the groundwork for creating those outcomes.

Our policy practice is rooted in the study of people, societies, cultures, and communities, and how shared rules and norms can be constructed to achieve better outcomes.

Place is the physical, shared environment in which all of us live each day. It exists in our streets, parks, neighborhoods, districts, and corridors.

Our place and design practice is composed of architects, urban designers, and physical planners who understand that it takes intentionality to create great, meaningful, and life-affirming places.