Why We Count

Although public stewardship, civic engagement, and equity are now part of the public agenda, planners, designers, civic leaders, and policy makers are still learning how to operationalize those values in the built environment. We know what gets measured gets changed. But how does this happen, and what does it look like? This lecture will explore emerging approaches for making social impact visible so that the built environment is more just and sustainable.

Shin-pei Tsay is the Founder and CEO of Make Public, a firm that specializes in social impact assessments that work towards justice. Previously she served as executive director of Gehl Institute where she built the non-profit organization from the ground up; bridged design and planning with critical issues such as public health, criminal justice, and equity; and led the development of a new data standard for public life. A serial social entrepreneur, Shin-pei has served as deputy executive director at TransitCenter where she contributed to its establishment as a national philanthropy, and she founded and directed the Cities and Transportation Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she led a project with Senator Bill Bradley and Secretary Tom Ridge to reform and fund the federal transportation program. Shin-pei’s past roles include Deputy Director of Transportation Alternatives, Chief Operating Officer of Project for Public Spaces, and founding member of ZGF Architects’ NYC office. She also worked with Fortune 500 companies to develop Internet strategies. Shin-pei is on the Board of ioby and Transportation Alternatives, and is a Commissioner for the New York City Public Design Commission. Shin-pei holds a MSc in Cities, Space and Society from London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA with distinction from the College of Arts and Science at Cornell University. Shin-pei started a post as director of policy for cities and transportation at Uber in October 2019.