DONATE

New York’s Public Realm

Last month, Investing in Place convened 75 civic leaders from government, philanthropy, design, business, and community organizations for the first of our Public Space Salons.

The evening centered on a simple idea: public space is civic infrastructure.

Sidewalks, streets, parks, trees, and other shared public assets shape daily life in Los Angeles. Yet responsibility for planning, funding, maintaining, and improving these assets remains fragmented across departments, budgets, and decision-making processes.

One of the highlights of the evening was a conversation with Ya-Ting Liu, New York City’s first Chief Public Realm Officer.

Ya-Ting shared lessons from New York City’s efforts to better coordinate public space across agencies and create clearer accountability for the public realm. Her role was created because civic leaders, advocates, businesses, and public officials recognized that public space required dedicated leadership and long-term stewardship.

Her experience offered both inspiration and practical lessons for Los Angeles as local leaders consider Charter Reform, a Capital Infrastructure Program, and new approaches to governing the public realm.

The conversation reinforced something Investing in Place has increasingly focused on over the last several years: public space challenges are often governance challenges.

Questions about sidewalks, parks, trees, accessibility, maintenance, and public investment are ultimately questions about accountability, coordination, priorities, and leadership.

The salon also brought together people who do not often find themselves in the same room. Participants shared perspectives from government, philanthropy, design, community organizations, and business, helping build a broader understanding of what it will take to better care for Los Angeles’ public realm.

As Charter Reform discussions continue, Investing in Place will continue researching, convening, and contributing ideas about how Los Angeles can create the systems needed to care for its public spaces over the long term.

Because public space is not an amenity.

It is civic infrastructure.






hello@investinginplace.org

Instagram Youtube Linkedin

Stay up to date on our work!

Sign up for our newsletter

Site Credits

© Investing in Place. All Rights Reserved.

New Title

New Name

New Bio

Estolano Advisors

Richard France

Richard France assists clients with strategic planning, visioning, and community and economic development. He is a strategic planner at Estolano Advisors, where he has been involved in a variety of active transportation, transit-oriented development, climate change resiliency, and equitable economic development projects. His work in active transportation includes coordinating a study to improve bike and pedestrian access to transit oriented districts for the County of Los Angeles, and working with the Southern California Association of Governments to host tactical urbanism events throughout the region. Richard also serves as a technical assistance provider for a number of California Climate Investment programs, including the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities, Transformative Climate Communities, and Low Carbon Transit Operations programs. He has also taught at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Richard received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Accelerator for America, Milken Institute

Matt Horton

Matt Horton is the director of state policy and initiatives for Accelerator for America. He collaborates with government officials, impact investors, and community leaders to shape infrastructure, job creation, and equitable community development efforts. With over fifteen years of experience, Matt has directed research-driven programs and initiatives focusing on housing production, infrastructure finance, access to capital, job creation, and economic development strategies. Previously, he served as the director of the California Center at the Milken Institute, where he produced research and events to support innovative economic policy solutions. Matt also has experience at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), where he coordinated regional policy development and planning efforts. He holds an MA in political science from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA in history from Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, Matt serves as a Senior Advisor for the Milken Institute and is involved in various advisory boards, including Lift to Rise and WorkingNation.

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Madeline Brozen

Madeline is the Deputy Director of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies at the Luskin School of Public Affairs. She oversees and supports students, staff, and faculty who work on planning and policy issues about how people live, move, and work in the Southern California region. When not supporting the work of the Lewis Center community, Madeline is doing research on the transportation patterns and travel needs of vulnerable populations in LA. Her recent work includes studies of low-income older adults in Westlake, public transit safety among university students, and uncovering the transportation needs of women, and girls in partnership with Los Angeles public agencies. Outside of UCLA, Madeline serves as the vice-chair of the Metro Westside Service Council and enjoys spending time seeing Los Angeles on the bus, on foot, and by bike.

Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Luis Gutierrez

Luis Gutierrez, works in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as the Director of Energy & Water in the Office of Energy and Sustainability (MOES), Luis oversees issues related to LA’s transition to clean energy, water infrastructure, and serves as the primary liaison between the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Water and Power. Prior to joining MOES, Luis managed regulatory policy proceedings for Southern California Edison (SCE), focusing on issues related to equity and justice. Before joining SCE, Luis served as the Director of Policy and Research for Inclusive Action for the City, a community development organization dedicated to economic justice in Los Angeles. Luis holds a BA in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State LA.

Communications Strategist

Kim Perez

Kim is a writer, researcher and communications strategist, focused on sustainability, urban resilience and safe streets. Her specialty is taking something complex and making it clear and compelling. Harvard-trained in sustainability, she won a prize for her original research related to urban resilience in heat waves—in which she proposed a method to help cities identify where pedestrians spend a dangerous amount of time in direct sun, so they can plan for more equitable access to shade across a city.

jessica@investinginplace.org

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jessica Meaney

Jessica Meaney is the founder and executive director of Investing in Place.


She has spent more than two decades working across philanthropy, government, and nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, focused on how cities care for public space. Jessica holds a BA from Prescott College and a master’s degree in urban sociology from California State University, Los Angeles.


Her background in urban sociology shapes how she understands infrastructure, not simply as physical assets, but as reflections of how cities allocate resources, set priorities, and shape daily life. She examines sidewalks, streets, and parks as interconnected civic systems influenced by governance, finance, and institutional design.


At Investing in Place, Jessica leads research, convenings, and long-term analysis of how Los Angeles manages its public realm. Her work increasingly explores how cities structure and sustain public space systems over time, contributing to broader conversations about public governance and the social life of infrastructure.