ULI names infrastructure and urban development co-chairs
The Urban Land Institute has appointed architect and urban designer Kathryn Firth and development management consultant William Polisano as co-chairs of its UK infrastructure and urban development council.
Firth and Polisano succeed Carlo Castelli, and will serve on a voluntary basis for the next two years.
Firth is a cities, planning and design director at Arup and was former chief of design at the London Legacy Development Corporation. She also held urban design director roles at several practices in the UK and the US. Firth teaches at The Bartlett at UCL.
The Urban Land Institute has appointed architect and urban designer Kathryn Firth and development management consultant William Polisano as co-chairs of its UK infrastructure and urban development council.
Firth and Polisano succeed Carlo Castelli, and will serve on a voluntary basis for the next two years.
Firth is a cities, planning and design director at Arup and was former chief of design at the London Legacy Development Corporation. She also held urban design director roles at several practices in the UK and the US. Firth teaches at The Bartlett at UCL.
She has led masterplanning and urban design projects across the UK, US, Europe and Middle East, ranging from public realm improvements to large-scale urban development and regeneration projects.
Polisano has been an independent development management consultant for the last six years. He began his career at Lipton Rogers Developments in 2014. Since then, he has worked on the acquisition, financing and delivery of complex real estate schemes in the capital, including masterplanning two regeneration zones and leading projects through the development cycle for clients that are principally institutional investors.
Additionally, Polisano was a co-founder of Drum London, a platform focused on improving the quality of temporary accommodation available to homeless Londoners.
Mark Collins, chair of the ULI UK national council, said: “It is an immense challenge to ensure that the important role that infrastructure plays in shaping our future and maximising social impact is fully understood and not undervalued.”
He added: “The role of all of our product councils in the UK are invaluable, and we are fortunate to have some very talented people furthering this important aspect of ULI’s mission.”
Firth said: “I believe this is a critical and timely moment for this council as our towns and cities continue to look to regenerate their centres, promote diverse modes of transport and accommodate more housing. I look forward to finding ways to have a productive exchange with other councils, both in the UK and internationally.”
Polisano said: “As well as tackling the wonderful complexities of our urban environments at home, we aim to capitalise on strong links across ULI Europe to broaden our learnings and strengthen our outputs.”
