Bringing Life, Culture & Connectivity
to our Streets and Spaces
Redstone Theater 10:00AM - 11:00AM
An important feature of Innovation Districts is their live/work/play culture that attracts employees
and investors while developing a rich network of social and cultural capital. Key to the success
of both place and businesses are the physical public and privately owned assets that join spaces
together and encourage interaction and collaboration. How do we integrate our many cultural assets
and opportunities for art interventions to tie our community together? How can we use digital
and physical tools to connect our community geographically, economically, educationally, and
inspirationally?
Katie Denny Horowitz
Socrates Sculpture Park/LICCA
Katie Denny Horowitz joined Socrates Sculpture Park
in 2013 with over ten years of experience in grantmaking
and development in both the private and public
sectors. Prior to joining the Park, she was the Director
of Development for New Yorkers for Parks, a citywide
advocacy organization, where she led overall fundraising
efforts to champion an equitable and accessible parks
system. She was the inaugural Director of Special
Projects at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs from
2005-2011. Katie holds a MPA from NYU’s Wagner
School of Public Service with an emphasis in Nonprofit
Management and Public Policy.
David Burney
Pratt Institute
David Burney is co-founder and director of the Urban
Placemaking and Management program at the Pratt
Institute School of Architecture. The graduate MS
program is the first in the country to focus on the
emerging field of “placemaking” as an approach to
urban and community design. David Burney was
Commissioner of the New York City Department of
Design and Construction (“DDC”) from 2004 to 2014
where he launched a City-wide “Design and Construction
Excellence Initiative” with the goal of raising the quality
of design and construction of public works throughout
New York City.
Tracy Hadden Loh
George Washington University/WalkUP
Tracy Hadden Loh is a data scientist at the Center
for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at the George
Washington University School of Business. Prior to
joining GW, she was the director of research at the Rails-
to-Trails Conservancy. Her research focuses measuring
the value of the elements of placemaking, and the
Center’s recent report on the economic performance and
social equity of walkable places in the New York metro
region can be found at www.walkups.org/metrony/.
David Brause (Moderator)
Brause Realty
David Brause has worked in real estate for over 25 years
handling acquisitions, development and management
of office, retail, and residential property in the tristate
area. As President of Brause Realty Inc., one of
the premier family real estate firms in New York, he
has been active in the ownership and development
of approximately three million square feet of space.
Currently, Brause Realty is developing The Forge, a
38-story, 272-unit luxury apartment building on Purves
Street in Long Island City. David is a board member of
the LIC Partnership and Chairman of the LIC BID.
Neil Gagliardi
New York City Department of
Transportation
Neil Gagliardi, APA, ASLA, is the Director of
Urban Design at the New York City Department of
Transportation (NYCDOT) where he offers more than
30 years of interdisciplinary design and planning
experience. During his seven-year tenure at NYCDOT,
he has spearheaded design initiatives that foster
pedestrian-friendly, visually-appealing and sustainable
streetscapes, public spaces and transportation corridors
citywide.
Ebony Conely-Young
MSOL, Long Island City YMCA
Ebony Conely-Young is the Executive Director of the
Long Island City YMCA. She has worked diligently with
YMCA’s across the country holding positions with Y-USA
as Co-founder of the Emerging Leaders Group, AYP
National Board of Director’s, and working as a Group
Executive with the Y’s in Indiana. She is an advocate
for youth development, healthy living, and social
responsibility. She believes that serving people is her
ultimate purpose in life and she is able to execute that
on a daily basis. Ebony is a board member of the LIC
Partnership.