Placemaking
Developing a Destination: Placemaking as a Driver of Value Creation
11:20 AM - 12:10 AM | Canopy A | Breakout Session
Panel Directors: Dylan DeWald MRE ‘26, Justin Tan MRE ‘26
Placemaking has moved from a design aspiration to a strategic investment thesis. Across asset classes and scales, developers are allocating real capital to public space, civic infrastructure, and cultural programming as a way to differentiate projects, unlock entitlement support, and drive long-term performance. But these investments are complex, capital intensive, and difficult to underwrite.
When does placemaking materially enhance value, and when does it become an amenity without return? What types of investments actually work, and how should developers think about scale, governance, and long-term stewardship?
Moderator
Tim Love FAIA
Founding Principal | Utile
Founding Principal, Assistant Director of the Master in Real Estate Program, Lecturer and Senior Fellow in Real Estate and Urban Planning at Harvard
Tim Love is a Lecturer and Senior Fellow in Real Estate and Urban Planning at the Harvard GSD, where he teaches courses that focus on topics at the intersection of design, policy, and real estate development. In addition, he is the Assistant Director of the Master in Real Estate program. Love is also the founding principal of Utile, where he leads the firm's urban design, planning, and real estate consulting practice.
Love has a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master in Architecture from the Harvard GSD, where he graduated with distinction and received the Henry Adams Medal. In addition to Harvard, Love has taught at Northeastern, Yale, the University of Toronto, and RISD.
Will Fleissig
Lecturer and Senior Fellow in Real Estate | Harvard GSD
Managing Principal | Collaborative Equities LLC
William (Will) Fleissig has been a trailblazer in both the private and public sectors, developing large-scaled districts for diverse North American cities in Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Washington DC and Toronto Canada. He is an industry leader building low-carbon and mixed-income communities – embracing advanced green technologies and expansive community collaboration – to create vibrant, sustainable and equitable places. He is the founder and Managing Principal of Collaborative Equities LLC, advising multiple property owners including Temple University in Philadelphia, HULA in Burlington VT, and CoPlace in San Diego.
Previously, Will was the President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto, overseeing the revitalization of 2,000 acres adjacent to downtown Toronto, and has served in the public sector as the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Boulder, Colorado, and as the Director of Downtown Planning and Development for Mayor Federico Pena in Denver. Will is a licensed architect in the State of California and a Lecturer and Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Master in Real Estate program.
Will holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Bachelor of Architecture in urban design from the City College of New York, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.
Panelists
Rustom Cowasjee
Managing Director, Design & Construction | Tishman Speyer
Rustom Cowasjee is currently responsible for the design and construction of large-scale master planning / urban design projects in various regions of Tishman Speyer’s portfolio. Since joining Tishman Speyer in 1999, he has been responsible for the design and construction of the company’s projects in Northern Virginia, District of Columbia, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. He was also responsible for setting up Tishman Speyer’s Design and Construction groups and projects in India. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, Rustom worked for London & Leeds Development Corporation and was responsible for the design and construction of the commercial office building portfolio and Hilton International hotels in the Americas, including in Canada, the Caribbean and South America. He has also worked as an architect for I.M. Pei & Partners in New York. Rustom graduated from Cornell University with a B.Arch. and earned a MAUD in architecture and urban design from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
Raven Anderson
Senior Vice President for Real Estate Transactions | New York City Economic Development Corporation
Raven Anderson is a Senior Vice President for Real Estate Transactions at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Raven was a Manager for Waterfront Development at the Port of San Francisco where he helped lead the development of Mission Rock and Pier 70, two neighborhood-scale projects with over 6 million square feet of private real estate development. He previously worked on housing, land use, and transportation issues in the administrations of Mayor Ed Lee and Mayor London Breed of San Francisco. Before moving to San Francisco Raven worked for the World Bank and has worked on urban development projects in Brazil, Mongolia, and Indonesia. Raven started his career as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the New York City Housing Authority. Raven has a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard University.
Annie Yan Bailey
Development Manager | Two Trees Management Company
Annie Yan Bailey, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP, CPHD, is a Development Manager at Two Trees Management Company, where she works on the ongoing redevelopment of the Domino Sugar Factory 11-acre campus and the stewardship of Domino Park. Her work focuses on shaping the public realm—from expanding park amenities, including a seasonal waterfront ice rink, to delivering and curating ground-floor retail, cultural, and community spaces that bring daily life and identity to the Domino waterfront.
Annie holds a MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation and a B.Arch from The Cooper Union.