Placemaking
Developing a Destination: Placemaking as a Driver of Value Creation
10:10 AM - 11:00 AM | Canopy A | Breakout Session
Panel Directors: Dylan DeWald MRE ‘27
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
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.
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