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.

By: Danny Fuchs, Maile Martinez, Shawn Daugherty, Alex Banh, Preston Rhea, and Ana Z. Licona

Leaders of HR&A’s Digital Opportunity team recently attended the Net Inclusion conference at the Gila River Indian Community with a clear purpose: to connect with practitioners and organizations who are grounded in community, geared for action, and committed to closing the digital divide.

There’s a growing need to work alongside those planning, funding, and delivering for communities of all sizes around the country. Our experience in infrastructure planning, evaluation, partnerships, and policy offers a foundation for thoughtful collaboration.

We left with 6 key takeaways:

Collaborate Locally and Regionally

The next phase of this work must be rooted in local and regional collaboration. Local ecosystems and governments should identify ways to leverage their regional strengths by increasing their integration and partnering with other critical service providers. In the face of funding shifts, organizations should take shared action and identify new and innovative solutions on a state-by-state basis.

Philanthropy’s Role is Evolving

Funders are seeking new ways to drive impact. We’ve identified three key strategies for engaging them effectively:

Understand funder priorities: Approach funders with a genuine interest in understanding their current perspective and priorities to build trust and open doors to future support.

Demonstrate collective impact: Funders increasingly favor coalitions that show coordinated efforts across sectors. A single program working in isolation is far less compelling than coordinated efforts with healthcare, education, and workforce development sectors.

Provide concrete evidence: Bringing local and regional impact data plus personal success stories helps demonstrate the value of scaling solutions.

Continue Highlighting the Impact

Practitioners need to clearly demonstrate how digital inclusion drives outcomes in education, workforce development, and healthcare, especially in rural and remote communities, where small populations can obscure significant impact. Tens of thousands of organizations have contributed to state asset inventories and planning processes. Sustaining these tools and building on their foundation should be seen as a cost-effective way to sustain the momentum.

Digital Access is Essential to Healthcare

Digital tools are indispensable to improving health outcomes. From telehealth appointments to remote monitoring and data sharing, internet access is now a public health issue.

Panelists repeatedly underscored how gaps in digital access directly translate into gaps in care. Patients in rural or underserved areas may go without regular check-ins, delay treatment, or fail to access preventive services, not due to lack of interest or urgency, but because they can’t reliably connect. Healthcare providers are similarly constrained in delivering telehealth or following up with patients lacking devices or connectivity.

Find What’s Working to Address Infrastructure Challenges

The cost and effort of pre-engineering networks and understanding likely take rates at different price points remains a major barrier to realizing more public network buildout.

Communities of any size and at any scale begin to take concrete steps towards public network construction, operation, and uptake. A session by the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council highlighted their strategy for affordable multi-dwelling units, drawing strong interest around targeted outreach and implementation. This work parallels efforts to develop affordable broadband options in affordable housing across California, New York, and Texas.

Policy Innovations Require Coordination and Creativity

From California’s CERF device fee proposal to the State of Washington’s reintroduced device fee bill and ideas inspired by Maryland’s digital ads tax, local advocates are thinking creatively about sustainable funding. However, coordination is lacking to nurture these ideas into actual programs and policy. There is a clear need for a coordinated effort to track, evaluate, and amplify these innovations.

What’s Next

We believe that localized, cross-sector collaboration, along with bold, evidence-based advocacy will define the future of broadband.

HR&A will be there to help deliver it through infrastructure planning, evaluation strategies, partnership building, and policy development. With strategic collaboration and sustained commitment, we can build more equitable digital access for all communities.

HR&A Principal Daniel Warwick joined Imagine Housing and A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) to discuss how faith-based organizations can play a meaningful role in expanding affordable housing across East King County, bringing together more than 70 faith leaders, policymakers, developers, and elected officials to explore strategies for unlocking faith-owned land for community-serving development. 

We’re grateful to Imagine Housing, ARCH, and all the partners advancing innovative approaches to create more inclusive, affordable communities. 

Learn more about Imagine Housing and A Regional Coalition for Housing. 

HR&A Advisors is proud to share that Principal Thomas Simpson has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Houston Land Bank, a public entity dedicated to creating affordable housing opportunities and supporting equitable neighborhood revitalization across Houston.

As a member of the City of Houston Mayoral Appointees, Thomas will help guide the Land Bank’s mission to reactivate vacant and abandoned properties, expand access to affordable homeownership, and foster community-driven economic development. Since 2018, more than 350 affordable homes have been developed and sold through the Land Bank’s disposition processes, reactivating over $125 million in property value.

Thomas brings to the Board his deep experience advancing equitable development and housing strategies across the country, including in Houston, where HR&A continues to partner with public agencies and community organizations to shape inclusive growth.

We congratulate Thomas on this well-deserved appointment and look forward to seeing his continued impact in helping build a more affordable and thriving Houston.

HR&A Advisors was honored to receive the Public Space Leadership Award at the Design Trust for Public Space’s 30th Anniversary Benefit this past June. For three decades, the Design Trust has been a catalyst for reimagining New York City’s public realm, and we were proud to join the distinguished roster of leaders recognized with this honor.

For almost 50 years, HR&A has worked to create vital places, build equitable and resilient communities, and improve people’s lives. We’ve served more than 150 proposed and existing urban open spaces, parks, and park systems, translating the ideas of communities and their advocates into meaningful systems change.

This recognition highlights HR&A’s deep-rooted commitment to the vitality of public spaces across NYC—a commitment exemplified by our Principal, Thomas Jansen, who serves on the Design Trust’s Board of Directors and actively contributes to advancing its mission. The award stands as a testament to our incredible team, clients, and partners who make this work possible.

“Even after New York City’s initial tax program ended, thousands of conversions continued to happen, evidence that a desirable neighborhood had been created. It wasn’t just that it reduced costs. It created the visibility of Lower Manhattan for residents—and made it a great place to live.” — Kate Collignon, Managing Partner, HR&A Advisors in the SF Examiner.

San Francisco is now poised to approve a Downtown Revitalization and Economic Recovery Financing District, where taxes from conversions could be used to offset development costs. This marks a major step towards making office-to-residential conversions viable in a downtown that has experienced significant challenges in its post-COVID recovery.

This moment builds on months of progress from the City, including code relief and fee waivers —all designed to jumpstart the transformation of vacant offices into housing. HR&A was proud to partner with SPUR, ULI San Francisco, and Gensler to assess the economics behind these strategies in 2023 and more recently with Brookings Metro, Gensler, and Eckholm Studios for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

We’re excited to see San Francisco continue making strides towards creating a resilient, vibrant downtown with opportunities for workers, residents, and visitors.

Explore the 2023 SPUR/ULI Study.

Explore the 2025 HUD Study.

HR&A Advisors congratulates the communities of Hudson Square and Long Island City on the announcement of transformative projects through New York State’s NY Forward and Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) programs. These awards mark major steps forward in implementing community-driven visions for more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient neighborhoods.

HR&A served as lead consultant for the Hudson Square NY Forward process, working in close partnership with the Hudson Square BID and supported by MUD Workshop, Sherpa Construction Consulting, and PingPong Design + Strategy. The resulting Strategic Investment Plan outlines a series of catalytic projects—including expanded open space, new cultural installations, and improved public amenities—that will help reconnect Hudson Square with surrounding neighborhoods and support a more welcoming street-level experience here.

In Long Island City, HR&A was proud to support MUD Workshop’s leadership on the DRI process in collaboration with the Long Island City Partnership. Together, we helped shape a Strategic Investment Plan focused on strengthening the district’s identity as a creative, mixed-use hub, with investments in arts infrastructure, public space, and community-serving facilities. here.

We are honored to have worked alongside our partners and community stakeholders to help bring these visions into action, and we look forward to seeing the impact of these projects in the years ahead.

Read the full press release here.