Kate Ascher

Kate Ascher is the Milstein Professor of Urban Development at Columbia GSAPP, where she teaches real estate, infrastructure and urban planning courses. Ascher also has a strong academic background, with interests in privatization and municipal services, waterfront planning and development, infrastructure and environmental policy.

Ascher leads BuroHappold’s Cities Group, which specializes in urban planning and development. She has a track record of effective leadership in infrastructure, transportation, economic development and real estate in public and private sectors. Her strengths are in planning and implementing urban development projects involving major financial, regulatory, organizational and political hurdles. Ascher has specific expertise in project finance, strategic planning, capital programs, facility siting and transportation operations. Her public sector work has involved overseeing major infrastructure and master planning projects for the New York metropolitan region, including the development of energy, telecommunications and waste plans in cooperation with community, environmental, business and other advocacy groups. Ascher has also been responsible for navigating and completing a series of major waterfront redevelopment projects in New York and New Jersey.

She is also the author of several books on public infrastructure and the delivery of municipal services.