Susan Christopherson Center for Community Planning

The Susan Christopherson Center for Community Planning works across New York State to enhance the capacity of communities and organizations to engage meaningfully and successfully in planning projects at the intersection of climate resiliency, equity, and the built environment. Our initiatives bring together diverse voices around shared challenges to work in a way that is collaborative, participatory, data-driven and results-oriented.

The Christopherson Center honors and continues the life’s work of internationally renowned economic geographer Susan Christopherson (1946-2016), former chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. Dr. Christopherson’s focus on regional and economic development issues, policy, and public engagement form the foundation of the Center’s efforts.

The Christopherson Center is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action, a registered 501c3 organization.

The Problem

Our homes, the shops and offices in our cities and towns, the roads and bridges and sidewalks we travel along – the built environment — account for more than 40 percent of carbon emissions. It is critical that we find solutions to lower these emissions while also addressing issues of resiliency and equity tied to climate impacts. While bold and collective action is necessary, many organizations and communities are siloed in their efforts for lack of resources, whether those resources are funds, staff, time or a wider network. The Christopherson Center works to break down these silos, inviting others to the table and serving as a forum for collaborative efforts that lead to greater good for our entire region.

Our Approach

The Christopherson Center works with stakeholders throughout New York State communities large and small to develop equitable programs and policies to address climate resiliency and the built environment while recognizing economic development opportunities. We believe change can occur when more people lend their voice to an issue; we are committed to inclusivity and outreach to populations and communities that are often neglected or left out of planning conversations and processes. Our current areas of focus include:

• Support and development of the circular construction economy in New York State and beyond. The Christopherson Center is one of the founding partners of CR0WD (Circularity, Reuse and Zero Waste Development), which works to advance policy and practice to realize the economic, environmental and social benefits of a full spectrum of building and building material reuse.
• The Chusid Symposium on Place is an annual event celebrating placemaking and placekeeping in New York State: sites where diverse voices engage with economic development, heritage, climate resiliency and equity to recognize and build place and a sense of community.

• At the Frontline of Change offers a platform for New York State's professional planners to come together to engage with planning issues relevant to our region. We feature workshops, seminars, speakers and other events throughout the year.

  Our Team

Gretchen Worth, Project Director

Advisory board

• Jeffrey Chusid, Associate Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University
• Derek Crossman, Advisory Board Chair, Deputy Regional Director, Empire State Development, Mohawk Valley
• George Frantz, Associate Professor of the Practice, Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University
• Danielle Hautaneimi, State Extension Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Rod Howe, Supervisor, Town of Ithaca; former Executive Director, The History Center; former Executive Director, Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI)
• Tom Knipe, Director, Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council 

• Nicolette Wagoner, Senior Funding Consultant, Arcadis

  Contact information

Gretchen Worth, projectdirector@christophersoncenter.org