Eri Furusawa

Director

Eri supports visionaries in government, advocacy, and philanthropy to make cities more resilient and equitable through strategic planning, policy, and inclusive community engagement.

Eri partners with leaders inside and outside government to drive policy change that improves the lives of marginalized communities. Her recent work includes building the case for universal rental assistance by quantifying the benefits of expanding access to housing vouchers for all eligible New Yorkers and supporting the Massachusetts Broadband Institute in developing a statewide plan to close the digital divide.

Eri brings deep expertise in inclusive stakeholder engagement. She has worked alongside community-based organizations in Baltimore, MD; Portland, OR; Oakland, CA; Harris County, TX; and Miami-Dade County, FL, to help local leaders articulate priorities backed by community data.

She also supports newly elected progressive leaders to govern from day one and harness the power of local government to advance racial equity and economic justice. Eri recently supported Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on All In Allegheny, the largest and most inclusive community engagement initiative in county history, which helped shape the administration’s agenda across sustainability, housing, health, and civic infrastructure.

Eri helps public agencies respond to the climate crisis by developing operational strategies that center environmental justice. For LA Metro, she supported the development of an internal tool that enables departments across the agency to integrate climate resilience and equity into everyday decision-making.

Prior to joining HR&A, Eri served in the Zoning and Urban Design Divisions at the New York City Department of City Planning. There, she conducted modeling and urban design studies for Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency, a text amendment created in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to build long-term resiliency in flood-prone neighborhoods.

Eri holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Tokyo and a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University. In 2024, she was selected as one of 40 national leaders for the Next City Vanguard. Eri serves on the City of Somerville’s Climate Action Commission.

Member, American Planning Association