UD Studio 1 2007

Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, Urban Design Studio,Summer 2007

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Kate Ascher

Kate Ascher is an expert on city infrastructure, public policy, and finance, and author of THE WORKS: ANATOMY OF A CITY (2005), which is required reading in this course.

Following her studies in Government at the London School of Economics, where she received a Masters and Doctorate degrees in Government, Ascher served as Director of Project Finance for Coopers & Lybrand Corporate Finance in London, prior to its merger with Price Waterhouse. In that capacity she privatized a number of state-run transportation entities in Europe, structured financings for international infrastructure projects, and did extensive advisory work for the World Bank and other international financial institutions. From there she served as Deputy Director of the Port Department at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, where she was involved with numerous transportation projects in the maritime and broader freight industries. As Executive Vice-President for Infrastructure at the Economic Development Corporation, a non-profit corporation serving New York City, she oversaw city policy in areas including energy, telecommunications policy, and marine and air transportation. In this capacity, Kate and her staff oversaw cruise activities in Manhattan and Brooklyn, worked with the Department of Sanitation on the City’s Solid Waste Management Plan, and managed aviation issues for the City. She is currently Director of Public Sector Development at Vornado Realty Trust in Manhattan. In addition to THE WORKS, Ascher is the author of books and articles on a variety of public policy subjects and the producer of a PBS documentary about the maritime industry.

See www.nycedc.com and www.vno.com
See also www.gothamgazette.com/article//20060213/202/1755