Karen Alschuler

Principal

Perkins&Will

Biography:

Karen Alschuler is a Principal of Perkins&Will and serves as a Global Leader for Urban Design, with 90 people working in urban design and landscape architecture across a dozen of Perkins&Will’s offices. P+W’s rapidly growing international practice has brought Asia, Central America, Brazil and the Middle East into the portfolio along with innovative leadership long-recognized across North America. Under her leadership, Perkins&Will’s designers work in places of magnificent urban opportunity that demand creativity in tackling growth, transformation, leadership challenges and community passions. They blaze their way toward carbon zero development strategies, new zoning approaches and real sustainability [in density, energy, ecology and society]. They steward well-loved places amidst districts of change and foster design excellence in all aspects of city-building. Alschuler’s recent projects include leading edge urban design guidelines for the intersection of Toronto’s downtown and waterfront, award-winning transformation initiatives at Treasure Island, Mission Bay, Transbay and performance driven plans for advanced manufacturing. Along with Panama Pacifico’s 1000 acre sustainable town center, the Master Plan for Boston’s Central Artery Corridor, Rowes Wharf, Harvard growth in Allston and The Yards in Washington, D.C., her plans have come alive as new city destinations. She is an active contributing member of the Urban Land Institute, serves on design review boards, and is a frequent speaker. Alschuler is the inventor of the much touted “planning game”, inviting informed substantive involvement by communities and clients. Prior to joining SMWM/Perkins&Will in 1992, Alschuler led planning teams at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Boston and New York. In 2004 Alschuler was elected Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners [FAICP]. In 2023 the University of California celebrated the completion of an archive of Alschuler's work as a founding principal at SMWM architecture and urban design. Member Directory

Biography: Karen Alschuler is a Principal of Perkins&Will and serves as a Global Leader for Urban Design, with 90 people working in urban design and landscape architecture across a dozen of Perkins&Will’s offices. P+W’s rapidly growing international practice has brought Asia, Central America, Brazil and the Middle East into the portfolio along with innovative leadership long-recognized across North America. Under her leadership, Perkins&Will’s designers work in places of magnificent urban opportunity that demand creativity in tackling growth, transformation, leadership challenges and community passions. They blaze their way toward carbon zero development strategies, new zoning approaches and real sustainability [in density, energy, ecology and society]. They steward well-loved places amidst districts of change and foster design excellence in all aspects of city-building. Alschuler’s recent projects include leading edge urban design guidelines for the intersection of Toronto’s downtown and waterfront, award-winning transformation initiatives at Treasure Island, Mission Bay, Transbay and performance driven plans for advanced manufacturing. Along with Panama Pacifico’s 1000 acre sustainable town center, the Master Plan for Boston’s Central Artery Corridor, Rowes Wharf, Harvard growth in Allston and The Yards in Washington, D.C., her plans have come alive as new city destinations. She is an active contributing member of the Urban Land Institute, serves on design review boards, and is a frequent speaker. Alschuler is the inventor of the much touted “planning game”, inviting informed substantive involvement by communities and clients. Prior to joining SMWM/Perkins&Will in 1992, Alschuler led planning teams at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Boston and New York. In 2004 Alschuler was elected Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners [FAICP]. In 2023 the University of California celebrated the completion of an archive of Alschuler's work as a founding principal at SMWM architecture and urban design.

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