Technology has the power to transform our world, and with this challenge, we’re empowering the sharpest minds in tech, design and business to help solve some of the city’s toughest civic challenges.

– Mayor Bill de Blasio

On Tuesday, September 16th, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Kyle Kimball, President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), announced the winners of NYC BigApps 2014, a competition that empowers the sharpest minds in tech, design, and business to solve NYC’s toughest challenges with technology. Winners were selected from 20 finalists – $20,000 cash prizes were awarded for the best Live, Work, Learn, and Play products, and $5,000 cash prizes were awarded to the best Mobile Apps, Web App, Data Tool, Connected Device, and Game. Mayor de Blasio and NYCEDC also announced that they will launch a sixth year of the competition that builds on this year’s success.

BigApps 2014 engaged over 3,000 New Yorkers and received more than 125 submissions, twice as many as last year. The 2014 competition winners are:

Issue:
Live – Heat Seek NYC
Work – NYC Hired
Learn – CourseKicker
Play – Explore NYC Parks

Product:
Mobile – Mind My Business
Web – Dream See Do
Data – Explore NYC Parks
Device – Heat Seek NYC
Game – PIPs (Positive Impact Points)

This year’s Selection Committee members were Google Chief Information Officer Ben Fried, Cornell Tech Dean Dan Huttenlocher, New York Public Library Chief Library Officer Mary Lee Kennedy, NYCEDC President Kyle Kimball, Collective(i) Chairman and Co-Founder Heidi Messer, Counsel to the New York City Mayor Maya Wiley, New York City Chief Technology Officer Minerva Tantoco, and Robin Hood Foundation President Deborah Winshel.

As competition administrator, HR&A led all aspects of BigApps’ design and implementation, including developing the competition’s structure, timeline, and guidelines; designing an interactive web platform; raising private funds for prizes and events; recruiting and managing relationships with more than 100 partner organizations and individuals; marketing the competition to entrants and the public; managing the submission and judging process; and producing eight high-impact events.

In addition to BigApps, HR&A also designed and administered NYCEDC’s Take the HELM and Staten Island Storefronts competitions, and the Open Society Foundations’ Talking Transition initiative, three programs that have used civic engagement and competitions as tools to support economic development in New York City. We are thrilled to be a part of these exciting initiatives and look forward to participating in more projects that support the innovation economy nationally and around the world.

To learn more about the competition and the winning teams, check out these articles in WNYC, amNY, Forbes, the New York Observer, and Fast Company.

HR&A Advisors invites Tribeca pedestrians to join us in celebrating vibrant urban public spaces on Friday, September 19th, when we transform three parking spaces into a temporary park as part of PARK(ing) Day 2014! First conceived in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio, PARK(ing) Day challenges people to rethink the way streets are used and reinforces the need for broad-based changes to urban infrastructure. Since 2005, the project has blossomed into a worldwide grassroots movement: Past PARK(ing) Days have included nearly 1,000 “PARK” installations in more than 160 cities in 35 countries on six continents.

Our temporary pocket park will be located on the northern curb of Harrison Street, between Hudson and Greenwich Streets, from 9 am to 5 pm. We will replace pavement with grass, and cars with community, offering comfortable spaces for relaxation and a unique set of programs throughout the day. The “parklet” will reflect HR&A’s commitment to creating compelling mixed-use environments and dynamic urban public spaces that strengthen communities and help to catalyze economic development. Drawing on insights from our open space practice, the parklet will be designed for maximum versatility, to accommodate a diverse set of users and events throughout the day.

Our parklet will consist of several flexible spaces open all day for public use:

The “Street Suite” celebrates new flexible working spaces by offering an outdoor office with tables, chairs, and Wi-Fi for street-side productivity and creativity. Join HR&A staffers, cross some items off your to-do list, and get your daily dose of Vitamin D!

The Tribeca Meadow recognizes the joys of living in the city, and the value of flexible open space for all urban residents and visitors. Come relax in our hammock, take a break on the grass, enjoy some lemonade, and join us for various events throughout the day.

Schedule of Events:

• 9:00: Turf’s up!
• 10:00-12:00: City Stories – Our parklet will be host to a traveling library curated with city-themed books and poetry by two local favorites: New York City Public Library and Poet’s House
• 10:00: Storytelling with the New York Public Library
• 2:00: Flexibili–(City) – Integral Yoga Institute will host free yoga sessions in our parklet – stop by with your mat or simply pull up a piece of grass!
• 4:00: Street Sounds
• 5:00: Park Teardown – see you next year!

“At the core of HR&A’s mission is the creation of vibrant urban centers that sustain a high quality of life for diverse communities,” said HR&A Managing Partner Kate Collignon. “PARK(ing) Day is a one-of-a-kind opportunity not just to promote HR&A’s vision and mission, but also to engage New Yorkers in celebration of public open spaces that we expect, and hope, to see more of in New York City and around the world.”

Read about our Park(ing) Day installation last year on our website, and at WNYC, Untapped Cities, Tribeca Citizen, and on NTD Television, and spread the word with our PARK(ing) Day Flyer!

HR&A is pleased to announce our partnership with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) in the launch of The Lawn on D, an innovative outdoor event space which celebrated its official opening on August 15th. “By having The Lawn On D, we’re taking another step in having the city be more innovative,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh at the opening event. “It’s another step in showcasing our city… giving people places to come, giving kids places to come… It gives the neighborhood a sense of pride.”

Located on D Street at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), this exciting 2.7-acre space uses innovative programming, including free public festivals and events, lawn games, food trucks, public art exhibitions and cultural offerings, and free Wi-Fi to attract diverse audiences to the Innovation District and strengthen the connection of the BCEC to the surrounding urban fabric.

Last night we celebrated the opening of Swing Time, which lights up the space with an architectural “swing” installation. This interactive installation, equal parts artwork and playscape, features an ethereal network of 20 glowing doughnut-shaped swings. Designed by Meejin Yoon and Eric Höweler of Höweler + Yoon Architecture to encourage physical interaction, the colors of the swings change with the rider’s movement, creating a technicolor glowing effect generated by the motion of the swings. At last night’s opening reception, we turned the lights on and celebrated the experimental outdoor space with a live swing band, bocce, ping-pong, food trucks, and a special Swing Time cocktail in the tent! For those of you not in Boston, check out Swing Time in action here.

HR&A, with support from Chris Wangro, has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing comprehensive public programming on behalf of the MCCA, providing program design, business planning, budget management, and program administration services for the project. The Lawn on D, which was designed by Sasaki Associates, has become a lively gathering space for the Fort Point, South Boston, and Innovation District neighborhoods.

In addition to The Lawn on D, HR&A is currently involved in a number of other projects within our program design and implementation practice area. HR&A is administering NYC BigApps 2014, the largest civic technology competition in the world, awarding over $100,000 in prizes to teams developing the best apps, connected devices, and other digital products that improve civic life in New York. We also designed and produced Take the HELM, Staten Island Storefronts, and Talking Transition, three programs that have helped to support economic development and civic engagement throughout New York City.

For more information on the schedule of events, hours, and more, visit The Lawn on D’s official website. We invite you to like the official Facebook page or follow the project on Twitter and Instagram for updates. Read more about Swing Time in the Boston Globe and Lawn on D in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe, and BostInno.

HR&A President, Eric Rothman, will participate on a panel at Rail~Volution, an annual conference dedicated to catalyzing livable communities through transit and transit-oriented development (TOD) on September 21st – 24th in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Eric Rothman will present on the public sector’s role in funding TOD as a member of a panel titled “Public Finance Support + TOD Projects: What Works?” on Tuesday September 23rd at 10:00am. This presentation will detail the range of financing tools public partners can deploy to improve the feasibility of TOD, and will draw on national best practices. This panel will be moderated by Arthur Jemison, Deputy Undersecretary for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Eric’s fellow panelists will include Conal McNamara, Director of Community Development for City of Whittier California, and Beth Pfeifer, Director of Development for The Cornerstone Group.

Eric is a nationally-renowned expert in transportation planning, TOD, and economic development and has been a regular panelist at the Rail~Volution conference for the last seven years. He has led conversations on public-private partnerships, value-capture mechanisms, and other transit oriented development financing strategies. Throughout his career, Eric has created TOD financing strategies for governmental entities and private developers across North America and in the United Kingdom. He advised on the rehabilitation of Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul and serves as an on-call real estate advisor to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ TRANSIT, and Arlington County, VA.

HR&A encourages colleagues and clients to attend Rail~volution and participate in the discussion on trends and promises of transit and transit-related real estate nationwide. Over 1,000 transit professionals and community stakeholders have already registered. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Wall Street Journal has published an article, entitled “Cities Want Young Families to Play and Stay,” that explores the range of open-space amenities and play-oriented programming that some cities are offering constituents in an effort to attract families to downtown areas.

HR&A Vice Chairman Candace Damon, quoted in the article alongside Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, describes the economic and political value of the family demographic, and the rising popularity of amenities that appeal to both parents and children. She says:

“People don’t get civically engaged until they are relatively settled in their personal lives. They care about schools, they worry about potholes and the ambulance going too fast.” If cities don’t retain that 30-and-up demographic, “then you don’t have people who are going to care and ensure they remain good places to live.”

HR&A is pleased that one of its major parks projects, Hance Park in Phoenix, Arizona, is referenced as a prime example of this type of forward-thinking programming outlined in the article. Hance Park, which will feature splash parks, playscapes, and restaurants to appeal to all ages upon completion, is featured as a key example of these playful offerings. HR&A worked with a design team led by !melk to advance a master plan for the park, providing advisory services related to operations and maintenance funding and governance to ensure the park is active, achieves community goals, and can be sustained financially.

HR&A is at the leading edge of a movement to design, operate, program and fund the development of new urban open space. In the past few years we have consulted on dozens of parks and public open spaces and have noticed a trend in the growing number of German style beer gardens that cities and communities are asking to be included in their parks. “It’s about creating a space where adults can gather with children, without having to be solely focused on taking care of the kids.”, Candace says. This is yet another example of how parks can serve as both public amenities and as catalysts of economic development. Our approach enables communities to use open space to create value through strategic connections with adjacent real estate and civic assets; to quantify that value through robust, data-driven economic models; and, where appropriate, to channel that value towards open space revitalization and maintenance.

Read more about our approach to open space planning on our website: http://www.hraadvisors.com/services/open-space-strategy.

Jamie Torres Springer, will serve as a moderator at the Council for Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) New York/New Jersey Financing Roundtable Conference on September 16th. The CDFA is a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading members of the development finance community representing public, private and non-profit development entities.

The conference will focus on “Reinvestment, Redevelopment and Revitalization in New York and New Jersey,”, and will feature panels comprised of economic development finance experts and leaders from both states as they discuss the tools and resources that foster proactive investment in the region’s assets and accelerate economic growth. Jamie Torres Springer will moderate a panel titled “Resiliency: Planning for the Unexpected,”, which will explore case studies and tactics for planning for the unexpected and for financing a disaster recovery project. Speakers will include: Tim Lizura, President & Chief Operating Officer, New Jersey Economic Development Authority; Lauren Tichenor Nichols, Director of Economic Development, New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery; and Lauren Trialonas, Senior Associate, Squire Patton Boggs.

HR&A is a proud sponsor of the conference and encourages colleagues and clients to register and gain valuable economic development finance insights. We look forward to seeing you on September 16th.

HR&A is honored to be a part of the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. This summer, we kicked-off a project for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (LARRC) that will help to assess the implementation opportunities for what is clearly one of the most exciting open space projects in the country. The United States Army Corps of Engineers recently recommended the approval of a $1.08 billion revitalization plan along 11 miles of the 51-mile river, propelling the project into the spotlight and establishing it at the forefront of Mayor Garcetti’s agenda. To get a first-hand feel for the emerging possibilities, HR&A’s Los Angeles office spent an afternoon kayaking down a two-mile stretch of the LA River where significant revitalization and naturalization is planned. HR&A staff learned from LA River Kayaks and Maria Camacho at LARRC about the water channeled in the river, native plants and wildlife, as well as potential sites for further programming and development.

Beginning in July 2014, on behalf of the LA River Revitalization Corporation, HR&A will lead a series of one-on-one meeting and workshops convening key leaders and stakeholders in order to help assess the opportunities and challenges for implementation of the LA River’s planned transformation. Based on these workshops, HR&A will recommend strategic next steps for structuring an entity or entities to fund, implement, and operate this major open space investment.

This project will be led by HR&A’s Vice Chairman Candace Damon who brings over 30 years of open space experience to the project. HR&A’s experience with open-space investment planning related to urban waterways includes, among many other projects: Brooklyn Bridge Park in NYC, Waterfront Toronto in Canada, the Great River Passage in the Twin Cities, and plans for the Seattle Waterfront in Washington.

The Los Angeles office of HR&A is excited to continue supporting economic development and public policy goals in California and nationally. We are currently involved in several public interest projects throughout the Los Angeles region including the renovation of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium as the anchor for a new mixed-use cultural campus, as well as the economics of a proposed freeway cap park in Glendale.

 

 

“Cary embodies HR&A’s values. He has a special ability to navigate complex urban development projects making him such a cherished asset for our clients and our entire community for over 10 years.”
– John Alschuler, Chairman, HR&A Advisors

 

HR&A is pleased to announce the promotion of Cary Hirschstein to Partner in our New York office. Since joining HR&A in 2004, Cary has specialized in the management of large-scale urban development, real estate advisory services for nonprofit institutions, and the structuring of effective policies and programs supporting environmental sustainability and resiliency.

Currently Cary represents David Beckham and his partners in their efforts to secure a stadium location for a new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. In 2013, he directed Major League Soccer’s initial efforts to develop a new 25,000-seat stadium in New York City. In addition, Cary advises clients on economics and policies related to sustainability and resiliency. He served as an advisor to New York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability and the Urban Green Council, contributed to PlaNYC 2030, and managed the design and implementation of large-scale residential and commercial energy efficiency initiatives for the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority. Most recently, as part of the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, Cary led the development of a community-based plan for improving the resiliency of Lower Manhattan through the investment of $25 million in CDBG-DR funding, allocated in response to Superstorm Sandy.

Within our firm, Cary plays a leading role in the training of our analytic staff and in mounting business development strategies. With this strong addition to HR&A’s partnership in New York, we look forward to continuing to support the economic development and public-private partnership goals of our clients.