Inclusive Cities

The year is 1976. The economy has fallen flat for most Americans. An oil crisis abroad has strained budgets at home. Technology is rapidly changing work, and pollution is a growing threat. Racial and economic inequality is underlying all of it.

In just her first 100 days in office, Mayor Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs has set a powerful example of what it looks like to shape governing priorities in partnership with the community. Earlier this month, the City of Albany released the Activate Albany Action Plan. The plan is a 30-step, community-driven policy agenda directly shaped by input […]

This press release was originally issued by the Mayor’s office.   NEW ORLEANS, LA — Today, Mayor Helena Moreno gathered with civic leaders whose work shaped her administration’s first 100 days at a celebration held at Gallier Hall, releasing the All In for New Orleans: 100-Day Report and laying out her priorities for the term ahead.   “The […]

Deep community engagement and moving with speed are often treated as tradeoffs. Mayor Helena Moreno proved otherwise. As the first Latina to be elected mayor of New Orleans, she inherited a city facing a severe budget crisis and residents who had stopped expecting government to show up. Her response was to do both things at […]

New York City’s launch of its public grocery store initiative is an exciting step towards making public options a reality in more places. By late 2027, the City plans to open its first publicly owned grocery store and aims to expand the model to every borough by the end of the Mayor’s term.   HR&A Advisors is […]

HR&A is excited to welcome Drex Owusu to our Board of Directors. Drex is a dynamic leader at the intersection of education, economic development, and civic engagement. His experience aligns with HR&A’s continued growth in Texas and our efforts to deepen the firm’s leadership and impact. Drex’s career reflects a consistent commitment to catalyzing economic […]

Land values around many campuses are climbing faster than HBCUs can capitalize on them. My first visit to a Historically Black College or University was to Howard University during its famous homecoming celebrations. I was visiting as a student from UC Berkeley, newly initiated into my fraternity, and I was immediately embraced by my brothers […]

HR&A is proud to support the work of the Fair Futures Housing Design Fellows, who have collectively lived in dozens of difficult housing situations while in foster care and in the years after, and whom we helped create a roadmap to ending the foster care to homelessness pipeline in NYC last year. In a recent […]

With over 16 years working at the intersection of criminal justice reform, mental health access, and local governance, new HR&A Partner Sarah Solon sat down with us to discuss how cities can do a better job of directing the resources they already have to addressing homelessness, what keeps mayors up at night, and how her […]

We’re proud to welcome three new Partners to HR&A’s leadership: Sarah Solon, Ignacio Montojo, and Erin Lonoff. Each brings a unique perspective and deep expertise that will help shape the future of our firm and the communities we serve. We sat down with each of them to discuss their paths to partnership, the trends they’re […]

We sat down with Partner Erin Lonoff to discuss why housing affordability is driving Midwest growth, the role of millennials in the future of mission-driven real estate, and her path from Intern to Partner at HR&A. Erin also shares how her diverse work focusing on the intersection of real estate and public policy helps her […]

Last week, HR&A’s Andrea Batista Schlesinger joined mayors from across the country at the Mayors Innovation Project winter meeting—a gathering that served as both an antidote to the current moment and a reminder of the real, tangible work happening in cities across America. The dual nature of cities has never been more apparent. They are […]