November 2019 | Focus on Downtowns, Tackling Policy, and Welcome to New Team Members

What makes a city sparkle? From a thriving economy to an accessible and dynamic public realm, our team has been thinking about downtowns, now and in the future, through both our projects and thought leadership.

Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Engagement in Downtown Baldwin We are thrilled to focus on downtowns with our project in Baldwin, Long Island. Karp Strategies is delighted to be teamed with VHB to support the Hamlet of Baldwin with their $10 million New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative Grant. We will be providing strategic planning advisement to help Baldwin advance its downtown initiatives.

Forging Dialogues at the International Downtown Association Conference A city’s downtown is its vital artery, providing access for the flow of people from one destination to another and serving diverse retail, cultural and civic needs for residents and workers. Recently, Karp Strategies Director Ali Sutherland-Brown attended the annual International Downtown Association (IDA) conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

“The conference was a great reminder of why we do what we do and how to do it well,” affirmed Ali. Read Ali's main takeaways here.

Next year, New York City will become the first place in the United States to have a congestion pricing program. As implementation of the policy nears, Karp Strategies is keeping a close watch of its impacts on transportation, real estate, and the city more broadly. Recently, Rebecca Karp facilitated a panel discussion hosted by CoreNet's NYC Public Policy Committee, of which we are proud members, about congestion pricing. The event brought together the policy, transit, and advocacy expertise of Ya-Ting Liu, Kate Slevin, and Nicole Gelinas. Missed the discussion? Read about our analysis and reflections here.

We are delighted to welcome three new team members to the Karp Strategies team and announce a promotion for two others! Risa Shoup, Michaela Kramer, and Max Gottlieb join Karp Strategies with expertise in urban planning, economic development, research, and project management. In addition, Tania Marinos has been promoted to Consultant and Yuri Chang to Analyst. Our team looks forward to continuing to provide top-flight services to our partners and clients.

From left to right: Risa Shoup, Tania Marinos, Michaela Kramer.

Risa Shoup Senior Consultant Risa brings more than a decade in senior leadership roles with NYC cultural nonprofits and an expertise at the intersection of planning, arts and culture, and real estate. At Karp Strategies, Risa is managing several projects, from a socioeconomic analysis of a large cultural institution to strategic planning for a downtown revitalization project in Long Island.

Tania Marinos Consultant Tania has been promoted to Consultant, where she will manage an expanded portfolio and assume leadership over client engagements. During Tania's time with Karp Strategies, she has supported community engagement at two Brooklyn Public Library branches, delivered holistic planning and advisory services for Western Beef, and helped deliver services to EDC in support of the EIS for the Brooklyn Queens Connector. In her new role, Tania will manage projects in Long Island City and downtown Manhattan.

Michaela Kramer Analyst Michaela brings experience in community planning, human-centered research, and design. She’ll be supporting urban planning and community economic development research, participatory design, and graphics on a range of projects.

From left to right: Yuri Chang and Max Gottlieb.

Yuri Chang Analyst Yuri has been promoted to Analyst, following nearly a year of excellent cross-sector work at Karp Strategies. Her portfolio focuses on strategic planning, economic development, and community engagement.

Max Gottlieb Graduate Analyst Max joins Karp Strategies with experience in spatial analysis, research, and advocacy. He brings that expertise to the analysis of Long Island City and stakeholder engagement for BQX.

We will be out and about! Join us as we keep our finger on the pulse of key issues impacting our region.

Town & Gown with NYCDDC November 18 | Ali Sutherland-Brown and Isabel Saffon will be presenting on our philosophy of participant-driven community engagement and participatory action research. Learn More.

Long Island City Summit November 19 | Ali Sutherland Brown will be attending. Join us.

ABNY Talks on Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) & NYC Property Tax November 20 | Tania Marinos and Isabel Saffon will be there. Learn More.

New Yorkers for Parks Open Space Dialogues: Neighborhoods Facing Change November 25 | Rebecca Karp will be a panelist, alongside Council Members Rafael L. Espinal, Jr. and Antonia Reynoso, moderator Jarrett Murphy, Executive Editor at City Limits, and presenter, Lucy Robson, Director of Research & Policy at New Yorkers for Parks to discuss open space as critical infrastructure for neighborhoods across the five boroughs. Join us.

Coro Alumni Holiday Party December 2 | Coro Alums Rebecca Karp, Ali Sutherland-Brown, and Tania Marinos will be there. Join us.

WTS Holiday Party December 3 | Rebecca Karp, Helen Ho, and Tania Marinos will be there to celebrate with our colleagues in transportation. See you there!

Hindsight: A Conference on Urban Planning through the Equity Lens December 6 | Helen Ho will present a "Conversation with Delivery Workers", during which delivery workers will share their experiences. Join Us.

Want to continue the conversation? We’d love to hear from you. As always, we welcome the opportunity to attend events with your network of partners and clients. Feel free to drop us a line at info@karpstrategies.com