6 Regional Development Agency 2

Jerold S. Kayden is the Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design and the Founding Director of the Master in Real Estate program at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. His academic focus encompasses land use and environmental law, public-private real estate development, public space, climate change, design competitions, and cultural space. Kayden has authored several influential books, including "Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience" and "Urban Disaster Resilience: New Dimensions from International Practice in the Built Environment." Beyond academia, Kayden has provided consultancy to governments, NGOs, and real estate developers globally, contributing to projects in Armenia, China, Nepal, Russia, and Ukraine. Since 1991, he has served as principal constitutional counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., and leads Advocates for Privately Owned Public Space, a non-profit organization promoting public use of privately owned public spaces. Kayden's contributions have been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship and awards from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, the American Bar Association, and the American Society of Landscape Architects. He holds undergraduate, law, and city and regional planning degrees from Harvard University and has clerked for Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals and Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court.