Larisa Ortiz Associates
Larisa Ortiz Associates is a New York City-certified M/WBE firm.
Team
Larisa Ortiz Pu-Folkes
- Lead East Coast Consultant, LISC MetroEdge
- Visiting Professor, Pratt Institute
- NY State International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Alliance Co-Chair
- Co-Author, “Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse”, International Economic Develoment Council (formerly CUED)
Larisa is an urban planner with a lifelong passion for commercial revitalization and a distinguished career leading commercial revitalization initiatives for public, private and non-profit organizations. As a child visiting family in Guayama, Puerto Rico, she often dreamed of finding ways to reverse the slow decline of the historic downtown she had come to love.
Larisa brings an unmitigated commitment to commercial revitalization, and over 15 years of national and international experience to her clients. Most recently, this includes the successful effort to establish Latin America’s first Business Improvement District as well as the award-winning and design and execution of the City of New York’s capacity building programs in retail leasing and leadership programs for commercial district practitioners.
Prior to founding Larisa Ortiz Associates in 2008, Larisa served as founding Director of the Commercial Markets Advisory Service (CMAS), the in-house technical assistance program for the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), where she was charged with developing and executing technical assistance, training and capacity building programs in commercial revitalization for LISC’s network of offices and community partners around the country. While at LISC, Larisa also served as Director of LISC MetroEdge, an in-house retail market analysis service for LISC communities nationwide. MetroEdge is credited with fundamentally changing the discipline of market analysis for urban communities. Larisa continues to serve LISC MetroEdge as their lead East coast consultant.
While a Senior Project Manager at the New York Economic Development Corporation, Larisa led the inter-agency team charged with developing a comprehensive rezoning and regulatory framework for 125th Street in Harlem to ensure the longevity of the nations’ premier destination for African-American arts, culture and entertainment.
As a Watson Fellow and later Fulbright Scholar, Larisa has traveled the world investigating successful models of downtown revitalization, particularly in Spanish speaking countries, where she has conducted work in Guayama, Puerto Rico; Barcelona, Spain; Mexico City, Mexico; San Salvador, El Salvador; and Santiago, Chile.
Larisa holds a B.A. with honors from Wesleyan University, and a master’s degree in City Planning with a concentration in real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Larisa teaches “Downtown Economic Development” at Pratt Institute. She is also the editor of the Commercial District Advisor blog, offering practical tips and profiling best practices in urban commercial district management, and is a frequent speaker and instructor on economic development in communities throughout the Tri-State Area.
Contact: Larisa Ortiz: lortiz@larisaortizassociates.com
Kristen Wilke
Kristen Wilke joined Larisa Ortiz Associates as a Project Manager in 2011. She brings five years of experience in planning, economic development and BID-formation. Prior to joining the firm, she managed district marketing efforts and public art programs for the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and served as the marketing coordinator for WXY Architecture + Urban Design.
Kristen received her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the New School University and her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning at Pratt Institute. She is a recipient of the 2012 John T. Riordan Professional Education Scholarship from the ICSC Foundation.
Contact: Kristen Wilke: kwilke@larisaortizassociates.com
Partners
Depending on the project, we form and lead teams to meet a client’s need for highly specialized knowledge and expertise. Our partners include:
Civitas Consultants - Downtown + Community Development
Dadras Architects - Architecture + Urban Design + Downtown Revitalization
Florence To Designs - Real Estate Marketing + Graphic Design
JGSC Group – Consumer Research
LISC MetroEdge - Larisa Ortiz Associates serves as the East Coast consultant for LISC MetroEdge. For more information, contact us.
Main Street Complete - Small Business Consulting + Web Design
The Office of Katie Osborn - Wayfinding + Graphic Design
