JLP+D extends its warmest congratulations to our Principal, Yuxiang Luo, AICP Luo, on his recent appointment as Co-Chair of the Urban Land Institute New York Infrastructure Council.

Following a successful term as Vice Chair of the council, including hosting council programming at JLP+D’s new headquarters, we are thrilled to see him step into this next chapter of industry leadership.

JLP+D President James Lima presented on the WRLDCTY stage at the 2026 World Cities Summit in Singapore, sharing insights on linear greenways as economic infrastructure. The summit convened global urban leaders to shape the future of cities worldwide.

James’ presentation highlighted how greenway investments generate measurable economic and social returns, drawing on JLP+D's portfolio of trail and greenway strategies across the U.S.

In partnership with the Regional Plan Association (RPA), JLP+D is serving as lead facilitator for the Long Island Workforce Roundtable–a joint initiative of JPMorganChase and The New York Community Trust.

The Roundtable unites employers, educators, and community organizations to develop an Action Plan on workforce training for Long Island's high-growth industries.

Congratulations to Kevin Tang on his recent promotion to Associate Project Manager! Over the last four years, Kevin has contributed to a variety of complex real estate development, housing, and economic advisory projects in New York, Boston, Buffalo, Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, and Jacksonville.

In his new role, Kevin will support and lead project teams across JLP+D’s growing portfolio.

Candace Chapman, our new Associate Director, and Yuxiang Luo, AICP, recently promoted to Principal, expand our leadership team, geographic reach, and expertise. Vanya Srivastava, newly promoted from Intern to Analyst, will enhance our policy insights and market analytics. With these advancements, our team of strategic experts and problem solvers looks forward to deepening our service to more clients across the country.

The Buffalo Broadway Market, the city’s oldest and largest public market, has been a hub of culinary and cultural connection for over a century. JLP+D was announced as one of the two selected consulting teams that will support Broadway Market Management Inc. (BMMI) to advance the market as a year-round food hub and state-of-the-art regional destination. New York State, the City of Buffalo, and philanthropic organizations including the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation have committed a combined $43 million to help create a vibrant neighborhood resource and a regional economic development engine that addresses 21st-century needs.

As a part of our continued expansion and market reach, JLP+D is very pleased to announce Olivia Dobbs Schneider and Carey Dunfey as Senior Project Managers, Hayley Oleksiak as our newest Senior Analyst, and Kevin Tang as Analyst. With these advancements, our team of strategic experts and problem solvers looks forward to deepening our service to more clients across the country.

Read more about our latest team updates here

JLP+D is proud to have been supporting economic development initiatives on Long Island! Last month, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency released the JLP+D and the Regional Plan Association’s co-authored report “Planning for Economic Growth”, which quantified the impact from a decade of investments across communities in the county.

Earlier in October, JLP+D authored a report on behalf of SCIDA and the Hauppauge Industrial Association - Long Island titled “Innovating the Talent Pipeline,” providing targeted workforce development recommendations to drive innovation and regional competitiveness. Read the JLP+D led research here!

Listen to the Long Island Association podcast where JLP+D President James Lima discussed the work here!

On behalf of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, in partnership with the City of Saint Paul and private and public stakeholders, JLP+D is leading the development of a Downtown Investment Strategy for Downtown Saint Paul.

With support from our project partners Perkins&Will and NEOO Partners Inc., the JLP+D team is drawing upon local and national downtown expertise to set a bold vision for the future vitality, livability, and resilience of Downtown Saint Paul.

To read more about our work in Saint Paul, click here!

The Urban Design Forum is hosting an event to explore recent progress and lessons learned from the Gowanus rezoning. Taking place on June 8th from 12-5pm, it will include citywide leaders Brad Lander and Dan Garodnick, community stakeholders such as JLP+D Principal Ben Margolis, Michelle de la Uz of the Fifth Avenue Committee, and Karen Blondel of Public Housing Civic Association, plus designers of new developments and the public realm such as Andrea Parker Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Susannah Drake of Sasaki, and many more.

Please attend and learn more about JLP+D's role as advisor to the Gowanus Oversight Task Force that is working to implement $450 million in investments and serving as a model for community-city engagement.

Photo Courtesy of The Urban Design Forum

JLP+D Director Yuxiang Luo has been featured in the Urban Land Institute’s report and webinar panel: “Social Spaces, Resilient Communities.” The report demonstrates how ​​social infrastructure - or the spaces communities use to gather and build relationships - is a critical component of building resilient and equitable cities.

Yuxiang emphasized the business case and economic value of social infrastructure for real estate developers, citing JLP+D’s work on public-private development throughout the country. Read the full report here. View a recording of the webinar here.

JLP+D is excited to welcome Ben Margolis to the JLP+D team as firm Principal. In this role, Ben will help clients deliver on major economic and community development initiatives while helping broaden the firm's expertise and reach as we continue to grow our national practice.

Read the full announcement here..

We're thrilled to be able to share the exciting news that our friends (and client) at the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. have secured $61 million in funding from New York State and philanthropic partners for the restoration of the iconic Buffalo Central Terminal!

This is a critical step for an anchor of Buffalo's East Side and the JLP+D team is looking forward to continuing to support the efforts to bring the Central Terminal back as a vital piece of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.

Read the announcement here.

JLP+D President James Lima was proud to serve as a panelist at the The Summit on the City: Recovering Canada’s Downtowns, hosted by the Canadian Urban Institute. Together, with a national network of organizations, researchers, city staff, elected leaders, community activists, and professional and industry associations, the summit gathered the best expertise to transform Canada’s downtowns into more inclusive, just, and resilient places.

Read more at the summit's homepage.

JLP+D has been working with the Caño Martín Peña Land Trust in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in collaboration with our design colleagues at Marvel, developing affordable housing plans for land they own and supporting the organization with capacity building.

The Trust is helping transform an urban settlement around a polluted and flood-prone river channel into a sustainable community in the heart of San Juan. In compliance with the Department of HUD and the 489 Act, the Trust is helping to provide affordable and resilient housing units to the members of the community who must relocate as part of this community-led effort.

More on the project soon.

A new publication from Urban Land Institute highlights community perspectives, the historical link between environmental justice and real estate development, and what solutions will look like moving forward, with an essay authored by JLP+D President and ULI Sustainable Development Council Member James Lima.

JLP+D is seeking a Senior Analyst, a Business Development Associate, and a Graduate Intern for our growing real estate, planning, and economic development consulting practice. Please see the job postings for more details.

James contributed to a new Urban Land Institute Advisory Services Panel and report that provides strategic recommendations for how the DC Office of Planning, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and Washington DC Economic Partnership can shape a new Downtown Innovation District and move toward being a more adaptable and resilient place that has greater capacity to “bounce forward”.

JLP+D President James Lima is honored to have chaired the virtual workshop last fall that helped inform a new report by Urban Land Institute Global's Building Healthy Places program. The report distills lessons from fourteen cities on how leaders across sectors can promote equitable access to parks and work toward healthier communities.

As 2021 starts, we reflect on all the challenges and inspirations in the last year, and we remain committed to collaborating with all of you to create vibrant, equitable and resilient places for all. We want to thank you for your partnership and trust, and we are hopeful that in the new year, we continue to support and connect with each other.

JLP+D helped facilitate a series of workshops with Atlanta City Studio, Toole Design Group, Stantec, Modern Mobility Partners, and Street Plans to reimagine Atlanta’s storied Peachtree Street as a “shared space” that promotes walkability, cultivates vibrancy, and drives the economic recovery of downtown. The sessions brought together downtown residents, property owners, business owners, public officials and a variety of other locals who want to see Peachtree Street unlock its potential as a lively, urban place.

Join JLP+D President James Lima who will moderate a panel of experts in Workforce Development including JLP+D Director Yuxiang Luo, Suffolk County Commissioner of Labor Rosalie Drago, Urban League of Long Island President Theresa Sanders, and NYCETC CEO Jose Ortiz, Jr.

Economic shocks, a public health crisis, and the reckoning over racial injustice have underscored the imperative for more equitable, sustainable, and resilient development. At JLP+D, we are proud to champion this type of economic development. Read our latest newsletter.

JLP+D welcomes our newest team members on board! Paul Lillehaugen and Evelyn Critton bring to JLP+D their experience and expertise in public policy, urban planning, resilience, equitable economic development, and project management. Read about their bios and more about the JLP+D Team on our website.

In a new New York Daily News op-ed, Peg Breen of The New York Landmarks Conservancy and JLP+D's James Lima discuss the future of West Park Presbyterian Church and landmark preservation citywide.

JLP+D has supported the preservation coalition since last November, leading a financial analysis showing a viable alternative to demolition–because preservation, housing growth, and economic viability don't have to be in conflict.

Read the Op Ed here!

JLP+D Associate Director Candace Chapman presented at City Parks Alliance's Greater & Greener 2026 conference in Austin, joining Sasaki and City of Madison, WI Parks on the panel "No Money? No Problem: Creative Funding for Public Parks."

Grounded in JLP+D projects such as the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, the discussion examined what a diversified capital stack looks like when public funding is uncertain–and how cities can build across public, earned, and private capital at once.

Representing the largest addition to the City of Denver’s park system in a century, JLP+D partnered with Sasaki to guide the redevelopment of Park Hill Park in Denver.

For this landmark project, JLP+D advised on operational stewardship, asset-based revenue generation, and sustainable funding methodologies to secure this community asset for the long term.

In partnership with WXY, JLP+D is creating an equitable economic development framework for the Columbus Linden Green Line. The Linden Green Line is set to become a transformative 7-mile multi-use trail connecting South Linden to Northland along an abandoned rail corridor in Columbus.

JLP+D is identifying opportunities to drive new investment and programming while preserving community identity and outlining implementable steps to catalyze a prosperous, interconnected corridor.

Read more about the project
here!

We are excited to announce the completion of an Equitable Economic Action Plan for Lafayette, Louisiana, led by JLP+D. This forward-thinking plan bridges market-based strategies with a community-led vision to invest in housing, small business growth, workforce development, and public amenities in historically underserved neighborhoods divided by highway infrastructure. Commissioned by the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the Plan identified 8 development sites (82 acres) along the 5.5-mile corridor to build 1.5 million sq. ft. of new development, including 945 housing units, and add 19 acres of open space. The investment is projected to increase property tax revenue fivefold. Read more here.

At the closing of the fourth annual Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) Just City Mayoral Fellowship – a collaboration between MICD and Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) Just City Lab – JLP+D Principal Ben Margolis, along with an invited resource team of experts, worked with a diverse cohort of mayors to support their strategies for addressing racial, social, and environmental injustice in each of their cities. These cities include: Allentown, PA; Dearborn, MI; Lima, OH; Long Beach, CA; McMinnville, OR; Racine, WI; and San Rafael, CA.

Check out the full recording of the closing conversation here

JLP+D is proud to support Urban Land Institute and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative's new report as a contributor focused on informing funding strategies for a more equitable expansion of greenway infrastructure in New York City. Read the report here!

Join us at the Urban Land Institute Fall Meeting in Los Angeles, Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2023. JLP+D is leading three panels on infrastructure, equitable development, and public-private partnerships. Check out our panel information here!

(Poster template designed by DVDL)

Please join James Lima on a virtual panel titled "Downtown After the Pandemic: A New Paradigm?" hosted by the Louisville (KY) Downtown Partnership.

This panel aims to shed light on the crucial steps required to ensure the vibrancy and economic health of our Downtowns in the coming years. The discussion will revolve around the innovative strategies and adaptations needed to thrive in the post-pandemic reality. James will be joined by David Downey, President and CEO of the International Downtown Association, Mallory Baches, President of the Congress for the New Urbanism, and Laurie Volk, Principal of Zimmerman-Volk Associates.

To learn more about the forum, click here.

...bridging the divide in Downtown Austin, envisioning new public space in Jacksonville, ensuring equitable and resilient communties in Gowanus, and more!

Read recent news and updates about the JLP+D Team and our impact across the country here!

Congratulations to Landmark Columbus Foundation on a successful 2022 Exhibit Columbus Symposium. JLP+D President James Lima and Director Yuxiang Luo are proud to be Curatorial Advisors for the program, where Yuxiang also served as a panelist. Public by Design, the theme of this year’s program, celebrates creative methods of collaboration that communities and designers can use to grow a sense of belonging and connection in public spaces. JLP+D looks forward to continuing the work with the Foundation, J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Recipients, University Design Research Fellows, and the community to pursue downtown revitalization through art, design, and public-private partnerships.

JLP+D is thrilled that our client, the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. (CTRC), has released a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to seek development partner(s) to redevelop the Buffalo Central Terminal historic campus in alignment with the community-driven Master Plan.

In partnership with The City of Buffalo, the CTRC is prioritizing considerations of diversity, equity, and inclusion as it seeks prospective real estate development partner(s) to join the rehabilitation and reuse of the Central Terminal. Prospective partners are expected to help the CTRC and the City deliver on their shared objectives of creating a vibrant mixed-use complex that will become an integral part of the neighborhood.

Click here to read the press release and find the RFEI linked here.

JLP+D President James F. Lima is honored to have been appointed once again to serve on the jury for ULI New York's 2022 Awards for Excellence in Development.

As part of the awards jury, James will help select the winners of the 2022 ULI Awards for Excellence in Development to “honor outstanding development projects in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across New York State.”

Read more here.

Last week, SPUR launched a virtual exhibition celebrating the promise of San José's Guadalupe River Park and bringing together three years of research and conversation about its challenges and its future.

The exhibition explores three ideas: How to “rewild” the river without losing its economic and recreational benefits, how housed and unhoused neighbors can coexist in public spaces, and how to revitalize the park to create a more vibrant, equitable and resilient city.

JLP+D is proud to lead the economic impact analysis and funding and governance study with project partners for this Knight Foundation-funded initiative.

Visit the exhibition page here.

Many cities across the country are rethinking the role of public spaces to leverage them for a more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous future. JLP+D authored a comprehensive report for SPUR on the future of Guadalupe River Park, a three-mile ribbon of urban oasis in Downtown San José, CA. The research was funded by the Knight Foundation in partnership with the City of San José and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

Read the two-page summary and the full report. Check out the latest newsletter for more.

JLP+D is proud to have been a part of the development of an ambitious and achievable master plan for the future of the Buffalo Central Terminal. We congratulate the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation on their release of this plan and celebrate the hard work, creativity, and focus on the community that our colleagues at SmithGroup, BAC/A+P, Mustard Seed World Group, Watts Architecture & Engineering, and Trophy Point, LLC brought to this project.

Our team’s contribution to the Terminal’s next chapter capitalizes fully on this “Architecture of Awe.” Grounded in market reality but aspirational in program and plan, the Terminal will be a place where everyone feels welcome to come again and again to connect, discover, linger and celebrate. It will be both a destination and a beloved and integral part of the local community.

JLP+D is delighted to be supporting a Stoss Landscape Urbanism-led design team on the masterplan for a newly resilient and multi-purpose Moakley Park, Boston’s largest harborfront park. JLP+D has been engaged to provide governance recommendations for this 60 acre public park managed by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Working alongside nonprofit partner Boston Harbor Now, our project team is more broadly tasked with redesigning the park to prioritize local community needs, greater inclusion and access, more diversity of recreation and play options, public health and community well-being, and significantly improved coastal resiliency and environmental stewardship.

Our team’s “Future of Stephen Avenue” plan for downtown Calgary has been granted the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Award of Excellence. JLP+D is proud to serve as the economic advisor to a team led by Gehl, along with Stantec on behalf of the City of Calgary and the Calgary Downtown Association. Congratulations to the team!

This past fall, JLP+D started work as part of a diverse and inspiring team of planners, preservationists, engineers, and facilitators supporting the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation in the development of a master plan which will explore the feasibility of adaptive reuse of the historic Buffalo Central Terminal along with a neighborhood plan for the reintegration of the terminal into the surrounding Broadway-Fillmore community. Read our latest newsletter.

JLP+D President James Lima's essay was recently published in Urban Land magazine. Read the essay here.

Many of us are pondering what our communities might look like in a post-COVID-19 world, and how we can build better places that can work better for more people. This continues to be the focus of JLP+D's work. Read our latest newsletter.

We are excited to announce our engagement in reuse and redevelopment planning for the iconic Buffalo Central Terminal and its reconnection to the surrounding Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood. We’re thrilled to be supporting the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. as a part of an inspiring and diverse project team led by SmithGroup.

Read Innovate LI's reporting on the Long Island Regional Workforce Development Strategy prepared by JLP+D.

At JLP+D, we continue to expand the geographic reach of our work. In 2019, we had the privilege of working on 26 assignments in diverse communities, addressing a variety of issues, ranging from mixed-use real estate development and affordable housing to workforce development and regional economic development policy. Our clients include the public sector, developers, and civic and other non-profit organizations. Sincere thanks to our wonderful clients and collaborators for a productive year! In 2020, we look forward to helping more communities and organizations shape innovative initiatives, unlock value, and increase competitiveness and quality of life. Read our newsletter here.

The City of Wilmington, NC, has officially adopted the Greater Wilmington Downtown Plan, and implementation is already underway.

JLP+D partnered with a team led by Agency Landscape + Planning, alongside Bolton & Menk, Inc., Neighboring Concepts, and Alta Planning + Design, to help establish a new downtown vision.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Planning Chief Kairos Shen convened an advisory group to reimagine the future of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace district. The committee is exploring how to revitalize one of Boston's most iconic public destinations, evaluating development scenarios and unlocking the marketplace's full potential.

JLP+D completed an economic and market analysis for the Destination Medical Center Development Plan Update in Rochester, Minnesota–home to Mayo Clinic and a growing HealthTech hub. The team identified growth opportunities across the city's innovation, health, and experience economies to shape a downtown that works for Rochester's next chapter.

Read more about the project
here!

JLP+D’s expanding economic development advisory work is helping to create opportunities for communities nationwide. As we grow, our team celebrates several well-earned promotions and announces its newest members.

Promotions:
• Carey Dunfrey - Associate Director
• Isabella Conway - Senior Project Manager
• Ben Kubany - Associate Project Manager + Head of Business Development

Our Newest Team Members:
• Olivia Mendelson - Executive Assistant
• Daniela Aizencang - Analyst
• Ben Perla - Associate
• Joseph Taecker-Weiss - Project Manager

James Lima spoke with Condé Nast Traveller on the challenges and transformative potential of hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics for the city of Paris. “The long-term success of the city’s post-Games ambitions, particularly for socially vulnerable communities, relies on deployment and means. Very few Olympics host cities have been successful on this front. Paris has shown itself to be a leader in urban transformation and social programs, however, and is perhaps better positioned than most.”

Read the article here!

The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance (SPDA) and the City of Saint Paul are acting boldly to envision and implement the next wave of transformative and catalytic investments in Downtown Saint Paul. We’re excited by the positive reception and recent coverage of our most recent downtown advisory work, the Saint Paul Downtown Investment Strategy. Check out some of the buzz in the publications linked below:

MinnPost - New plan for downtown St. Paul is full of good ideas

TPT Almanac - UMN’s Bill Lindeke discusses a proposal for revitalizing downtown St. Paul

Star Tribune - St. Paul leaders have high hopes for lackluster 5th Street

Read the full Saint Paul Downtown Investment Strategy report here: here

JLP+D contributed to one of the opening chapters in The Routledge Handbook of Placemaking, which is now available in paperback!

President James Lima and former Associate Andrew Jones authored the chapter “Placemaking as an Economic Engine”, drawing on historical data and case studies to explain the process by which “place” drives productivity and innovation for the economy, how parks and open spaces enhance real estate value, promote equity, and how generating value can help keep great places open and accessible.

Find the book page here!

...from Atlanta to Gowanus to St. Paul and beyond! Read more about our work empowering disadvantaged communities through equitable economic development and inclusive placemaking here!

We are very excited to announce the kick off of the year-long master planning effort for ‘The Stitch,’ a civic infrastructure and equitable economic development project that will reconnect Downtown and Midtown Atlanta. We are looking forward to working alongside our client Atlanta Downtown Improvement District / Central Atlanta Progress, lead partner WSP, and other collaborators on this transformative project.

Watch this short video of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens describing the project and its significant public benefits here.

We are hiring a Senior Analyst/Project Manager. If you have a passion for more vibrant, equitable and resilient places for all, please view job postings here!

Today, NYC Council Members Shahana Hanif and Lincoln Restler, alongside NYC Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick and Gowanus community leaders, announced the selection of JLP+D to serve as facilitator of the Gowanus Rezoning Oversight Task Force - a first of its kind in a City-sponsored neighborhood rezoning.

The Task Force will help implement nearly $450 million in direct investments including $200 million set aside to address the needs of NYCHA.

Read more about JLP+D's selection here.

JLP+D Director Yuxiang Luo’s presentation at the ULI Spring Meeting is featured in the Urban Land Magazine.

Joined by leaders from SPUR, The City of San Jose, The San Jose Downtown Association, and Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, Yuxiang spoke about ‘Urban Parks as the Anchor for Equitable Downtown Economic Development.’

As part of the report written on behalf of SPUR with funding by the Knight Foundation, JLP+D performed economic and planning analysis to investigate governance, management, and funding strategies for a revitalized Guadalupe River Park, with a focus on equity.

Read more about the report here:

Join JLP+D at the Urban Land Institute Spring Meeting in April, 2022, hosted from San Diego.

On April 20th, from 4pm-5pm PT, JLP+D Director Yuxiang Luo will be presenting at the session ‘Urban Parks as the Anchor for Equitable Downtown Economic Development.’ Yuxiang will discuss the economic case for public-private partnership in open space investments and join leaders from SPUR, The City of San Jose, the San Jose Downtown Association, and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. We look forward to seeing you at ULI.

Register for the ULI Spring Meeting here! Get in touch with Yuxiang here.

In 2021, the JLP+D team had the pleasure of collaborating with community, business and public sector leaders across the country and beyond. We greatly appreciate all the inspiration, creativity, and trust from many friends of long acquaintance and so many new ones too.

With gratitude for the opportunities to help create more resilient, equitable, and vibrant places during this period of economic recovery, we look forward with great optimism to continuing to serve these communities and others in 2022. Stay tuned and keep in touch!

JLP+D is working in Jacksonville, FL with DVDL, WXY, and Groundwork Jacksonville to develop a funding strategy for the Waterfront Activation project. Listen to James in today’s WCJT News. The work, funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, is crucial to activating the central riverfront and bringing new, vibrant, and inclusive waterfront public spaces to residents, workers, and visitors. Visit the project website to learn more.

JLP+D has been working with SPUR, in collaboration with the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, on a multi-phase study of Guadalupe River Park, funded by the Knight Foundation. Join JLP+D President James Lima, as well as Ian McRae and Josiah Cain of Sherwood Design Engineers, for a discussion about the next steps that San José must take to realize the potential of the Guadalupe River and its surrounding areas as an urban amenity that is accessible to all. Register for the event here.

JLP+D President James Lima is honored on Crain's New York Business‘ list of Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives. Congratulations to all the honorees!

James Lima was part of an advisory group of planners, developers, lawyers, and academics that proposed a bold policy agenda in response to this question as part of the Urban Design Forum's "21 Visions for 2021". The new microsite launched last week contains dozens of ideas that will guide New York's next cohort of leaders as they confront some of the City's key challenges related to the built environment. JLP+D would like to thank the Urban Design Forum team and all of the advisors involved for advancing this important work.

JLP+D is honored to have contributed to “The Routledge Handbook of Placemaking”, a cutting-edge research effort edited by Tate Exchange’s Cara Courage and Jason Schupbach, Dean of Drexel U’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, among others. JLP+D President James Lima and Associate Andrew Jones authored the handbook’s second chapter “Placemaking as an Economic Engine for All”, which considers the role urban “places” have played in the revitalization of American city centers and how placemaking is central to equitable economic development strategies.

Congratulations to Smithtown, NY for adopting the rezoning of part of the Long Island Innovation Park to bring new retail, apartments, and office spaces. Read the Newsday editorial. JLP+D is proud to have developed the Innovation Park opportunity analysis, which recommended the rezoning effort with the Regional Plan Association.

The City of Asheville City Council voted unanimously to adopt a master concept plan for a new 1.25-acre public park at one of the most civically significant locations in the city’s downtown. JLP+D is proud to have worked alongside local stakeholders, city staff, and the design team lead by NBW to make the case for advancing good design that can create lasting value for the downtown, and offering a parks funding strategy.

JLP+D President James Lima chaired a two-day Urban Land Institute virtual workshop that brought together dozens of leading parks administrators, downtown district managers, developers, planners, designers, and other smart growth advocates from across the country to come up with strategies to address the opportunities and challenges for enhancing more equitable access to parks and open space.

The impact from COVID-19 and resurgent efforts to address racial injustice have underscored the need for an equitable economic recovery. JLP+D’s latest report for the Long Island Regional Planning Council and Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency outlines inclusive workforce development strategies that can help the region achieve this, bridging socioeconomic divides while fostering growth in key industries. Read more about "Upskilled: Preparing Long Island’s Workforce for the Future" and access the full report here.