Main Street Sears in 2006. Photo: Mitchell Shields.
John Alschuler will speak on Monday October 29, 2018, at 7:00 pm at Rice Architecture’s Farish Gallery in Anderson Hall on the Rice University campus. Admission is free and open to the public. For guaranteed seating please register for each lecture here. Kalyani Jane Bhatt is a graduate student at Rice Architecture and a member of the Rice Design Alliance board.
How can the public and private sectors join to create shared collaborative spaces that engage people and strengthen communities? An expert on this issue, John Alschuler, Chairman of HR&A Advisors, Inc., in New York will give the third and final lecture of the Rice Design Alliance Fall 2018 Lecture series on the topic of Sharing, organized in collaboration with PLAT Journal and Rice Architecture.
Sears Building transition detail, 2018. Photo: Jim Parsons.As a consultant and real estate advisor focusing on urban developments, Alschuler brings his knowledge base to various clients and civic entities to aid in the realization of projects that will revitalize an area. Alschuler is the Emeritus Chair of Friends of the High Line and sits on the Board of Directors of the Center for an Urban Future.
In Houston, HR&A has been integral in the preservation and development of the Menil neighborhood and Buffalo Bayou Park. Alschuler has been involved in master planning for the legacy of the 2012 London Olympic Parklands, now Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, to ensure its future as a civic space. Other HR&A projects have focused on resiliency after natural disasters, strategic planning for revitalization of downtown and waterfront neighborhoods, affordable housing, and a report on the economic impact of Airbnb.
One of HR&A’s most recent projects is the planned redevelopment of the Sears building site and surrounding area in Midtown Houston into an innovation district. The district, in partnership with several entities including the Rice Management Company and the Greater Houston Partnership, is envisioned as a new center for technology innovation.
Alschuler’s experience working in partnership with local stakeholders and organizations to create democratic spaces for all members of a community shows how real estate and neighborhood development can share a common goal.
John Alschuler will speak on Monday October 29, 2018, at 7:00 pm at Rice Architecture’s Farish Gallery in Anderson Hall on the Rice University Campus. Admission is free and open to the public.
