“Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call about the heightened intensity of storms and what that amount of water could do. In its wake, city, state, and federal officials set out to make sure that type of engineering catastrophe would never happen again.”

HR&A Advisors CEO Jeff Hébert, who served as New Orleans’ first Chief Resilience Officer from 2012 to 2017, shared his thoughts in this recent Smart Cities Dive article, which traces New Orleans’ centuries-long battle against flooding and hurricanes, from its first levees in the 1700s to today’s multi-billion-dollar storm protection systems. Nearly 20 years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans continues to grapple with the challenges of climate change, sea level rise, and subsidence.

The piece also highlights how communities, advocacy groups, and city leaders are combining gray and green infrastructure solutions — from reinforced levees and pumping stations to bioswales, stormwater parks, and wetlands restoration — to build a safer and more resilient future.

Jeff also shared insights into the immediate recovery efforts in this piece from BisNow which examines how New Orleans’ commercial real estate market has navigated rebuilding over the past two decades.

Read the full articles:

Katrina’s 20th: Jeff Hébert on Community Recovery and Resilience — Ten Across

After Katrina, green infrastructure aims to supplement the rebuilt — but still vulnerable — levees  —  Smart Cities Dive

20 Years After Katrina, Hotels Define New Orleans. Everything Else Barely Registers — BisNow

After two years of detailed planning and engineering, evaluation of multiple station layout options, and 5,700+ community inputs, San José Diridon Station is ready to move to the next phase of redevelopment. The Diridon Partner Agencies have released an Alternatives Development Report, and elected officials have approved the At-Grade Alternative for environmental review. When complete, Diridon Station will be the nexus where Caltrain, California High-Speed Rail, BART, VTA light rail, and local transit converge in a world-class station that serves 100,000 passengers a day.

HR&A is proud to continue supporting the Partner Agencies (Caltrain, California High-Speed Rail Authority, City of San José, MTC, and VTA) in shaping governance for station redevelopment. Our work focuses on creating a delivery entity and operational strategy for the station, evaluating funding opportunities, and providing ongoing strategic guidance.

Read the complete Diridon Station Alternatives Development Report, including the Executive Summary and detailed appendices here. 

We followed three Interns from our Class of 2025—Alexander in DC, Camryn in LA, and Jose in NYC—to see what a day in the life of an HR&A intern looks like. From morning commutes that make them feel connected to the urban systems they’re helping shape to working on projects for some of the 180+ cities and communities across the globe that HR&A has served so far this year, our Interns get hands-on experience from day one. 

HR&A’s Internship Program features: 

• • Direct collaboration with Partners on real projects 
  • Dedicated mentorship with weekly career development conversations 
  • Support developing best-in-practices skills, learning new technical tools, and understanding our rigorous methodologies 
  • Cross-office teamwork spanning our locations across the country 
  • Final presentations that offer an opportunity for Interns to showcase their impact 
  • Hybrid flexibility that maximizes both in-person collaboration and connectivity

  This isn’t your typical internship experience. Our interns contribute to projects that transform communities, work alongside senior leadership, and build skills that launch careers in urban development. 

   

  Interested in joining our next cohort? Keep an eye out for when applications open this fall!

   

  

   

  

   

  

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Queens 2100 confronts a hard truth: flooding in coastal communities isn’t a distant threat—it’s already reshaping how we live, invest, and plan. HR&A Advisors Principal Jonathan Haragold joined a study led by Bill Kenworthey from HOK, which moves beyond the question of if flooding will disrupt life in low-lying neighborhoods—and instead asks when, how much, and what we can do now.

Nearly 40% of Americans live in coastal counties, and this plan provides a scalable, neighborhood-level framework to help low-lying areas prepare for climate impacts. From buyouts and leasebacks to targeted rezoning and disclosure laws, Queens 2100 lays out practical tools that any neighborhood can use to shift growth away from flood risks and safeguard local residents and businesses.

Read the full article to explore the strategies and tools shaping this neighborhood-focused approach to climate adaptation here.

As cities nationwide continue grappling with office vacancies, Arlington County, like many municipalities and local governments, is exploring a streamlined approach to office-to-residential conversions. 

One of the authors of a recent Office to Residential Study with Brookings Metro and Gensler for HUD, HR&A Partner Jon Meyers shared his thoughts in The Builder’s Daily: “In addition to a policy environment that’s conducive to conversion, there has to be a residential demand to support that conversion. People have to want to live there.” 

Explore how adaptive reuse can transform urban spaces and support vibrant, resilient communities. Read the full Brookings report here.

Los Angeles has taken a critical step toward reimagining how it invests in public space. 

Last week, the Public Space Leadership Council presented 16 recommendations for reforming how LA plans, budgets, and delivers infrastructure — from sidewalk repairs and shade equity to park access and streetlights.  

HR&A Managing Partner of our LA office Connie Chung supported Investing in Place in their effort to help shape a more equitable and transparent approach to civic infrastructure. As Connie shared: “Managing public space well requires more than good design—it takes vision, coordination, and long-term investment. A Capital Infrastructure Program is really a foundational step toward building public spaces that reflect who we are as a city and serve the everyday needs of Angelenos.” 

We’re excited to see this important work move forward, led by Investing in Place and a coalition of civic leaders committed to aligning public investment with the needs of Angelenos. 

Read the Full article here. 

Read the full report here.  

This press release was originally issued by Queens Borough President. 

QUEENS, NY — With months of community engagement in the books, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. will host a press conference tomorrow, July 17, at 11am to announce the release of the “Reimagine Ravenswood” neighborhood plan — a wide-ranging blueprint to leverage the clean energy transformation of the Ravenswood Generating Station, the largest such station in New York City, and maximize economic and environmental benefits across Long Island City.

The press conference will be held adjacent to the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and 40^th Avenue outside NYCHA’s Queensbridge Houses, in the shadow of the Ravenswood Generating Station.

Joining Borough President Richards will be representatives from Rise Light & Power — which owns and manages the station — and HR&A Advisors, along with other community organizations and neighborhood advocates.

The plan — originally announced in July 2022, managed by HR&A Advisors and funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) with support from Rise Light & Power — proposes investments in environmental justice, economic opportunity, and public space improvements that will be catalyzed by the renewable repowering of Ravenswood Generating Station. Ultimately, the plan will facilitate the retirement and replacement of the 1960s fossil fuel generators on site.

ULI San Francisco and Civic Joy Fund’s Market Street Reimagined competition has announced its winning proposals — from a four-mile-long bench fostering human connection to transforming Market Street into an urban forest. We’re proud that Candace Damon, HR&A Partner and Board Chair, served on the Jury alongside former Apple designer Jony Ive, San Francisco Chronicle’s former urban design critic, John King, Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, and other exceptional urban design thinkers.

“The Market Street Reimagined winners presented compelling proposals to breathe new life into a corridor that has a lot of the right infrastructure for success but lacks the human-centered elements that create true community. What struck the jury was the submissions’ focus on leveraging cultural richness, access to nature, and social connectivity—these are what make an urban space truly magnetic. I’m excited to see how these complementary strategies will come together to transform Market Street into a vibrant heart for San Francisco.” — Candace Damon, HR&A Partner and Board Chair and Competition Juror

“The caliber of submissions for Market Street Reimagined reflects the kind of forward-thinking design leadership that can reshape how we approach post-pandemic urban cores, with proposals that don’t just solve problems but reimagine possibilities. Most importantly, these innovative approaches prioritize accessibility and belonging, ensuring that Market Street’s transformation serves as an economic catalyst while becoming a genuine civic commons that honors San Francisco’s community-driven spirit.” — Kate Collignon, Managing Partner, HR&A Advisors

Congratulations to all the winners and participants who contributed their vision for San Francisco’s future!

Learn more about the winning submissions in this piece from the San Francisco Business Times.

You can find all of the submissions on ULI SF’s website.