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CHALLENGE
Bringing a Civic Landmark Back to Life
In 2023, a global technology company began redeveloping a former publicly owned civic building in Chicago into a mixed-use commercial and transit hub. An expanded ground floor and concourse retail level would open to residents, workers, and visitors. The real estate team sought a strategic vision and operating model for this revitalized public experience that responded to local context. Note: This case study uses illustrative visuals and figures to convey project scope and scale where information is not available publicly. Actual details are confidential.
Client
Fortune 10 technology company
Location
Chicago, U.S.
Year
2025
Over two years I aligned cross-functional stakeholders around a people-first place strategy and set of operating policies, synthesized into a single guidance document for internal and third-party operations teams
THEMES
urban design advisory · downtown revitalization · corporate real estate · civic legacy · adaptive reuse · commercial activation · placemaking · workshop design · stakeholder engagement · adaptive reuse · stakeholder engagement · journey mapping · public life
HIGHLIGHTS
01
Local Context Analysis
A people-centered approach to foundational site analysis to daylight amenity gaps, civic expectations and opportunities by analyzing: - Plaza Quality, Building Facade, Edge Zones, Street Character, and Wider Site Conditions Assessment - Neighborhood Amenity and Demographic Analysis - Local Sentiment and Potential Partnerships - Design & Activation Opportunities
02
Consensus-Building Around a Shared Vision
I facilitated executive and stakeholder workshops that put local lived experience into direct conversation with senior leadership on market conditions and asset performance. The outputs were shared: - User Journeys - Vision Statement - Place Activation Strategy and Goals - Metrics
03
Place Activation Strategy and Operational Policies Synthesis
I worked with cross-functional stakeholders to develop place-brand-aligned guidance for: - Public Programs & Partnerships - Public Art Program - Advertising - Retail Strategy - Building Tenant Amenities
During journey mapping and strategy workshops, I focused on balancing operations priorities and financial constraints with public impact - bringing local lived experience into direct conversation with senior leadership on market conditions and asset performance
STAKEHOLDERS
retail strategy · public art · asset management · design and development · marketing and communications · corporate security · legal · risk · government affairs
Testimonial
"Her systematic approach helps our client understand themselves and be able to give us direct and helpful feedback. "
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