Shin-pei Tsay

Staff

Shin-pei’s diverse experience in practice, design, and policy converges on transforming the built environment so that it is more accessible, equitable, and sustainable.

Prior to joining Gehl Institute in July 2016, Shin-pei was the Deputy Executive Director of TransitCenter, a national foundation focused on improving urban transportation. As the second person hired, she contributed to growing the organization, led initiatives in strategic, research, and program development, managed transportation and technology program activities, and provided program, operational, and staff oversight. Today TransitCenter is a leading voice for transportation issues in cities with programs carried out by a 12-person staff.

Shin-pei founded and directed the Cities and Transportation Program under the Energy and Climate Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she explored demand-side policies to mitigate climate change, and led a project with Senator Bill Bradley and Secretary Tom Ridge to reform and fund the federal transportation program. As Deputy Director of Transportation Alternatives, Shin-pei developed programs that expanded community participation in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy and forged connections with professionals in the public health and design fields. Her efforts led to New York City adopting the Safe Streets for Seniors program, a Play Streets program, as well as recognition by Active Living Research and the Centers for Disease Control. Shin-pei also served as the Chief Operating Officer of Project for Public Spaces, and was a founding member of the New York City office for ZGF Architects.

In 2010, she co-founded and directed Planning Corps, an organization that matches urban planners with neighborhood-based projects, whose work was selected for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Biennale for Architecture.

Shin-pei is currently a Commissioner for the City of New York Public Design Commission and serves on the Board of Directors for Transportation Alternatives and In Our Backyard. She received a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Cornell University and a Master of Science in City, Space and Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About

We are committed to getting public life on the agenda of cities across the globe.

To demonstrate the value of public life we engage a diverse network of actors and create new knowledge.

Our mission is to transform the way cities are shaped by making public life an intentional driver for design, policy, and governance.

We Study Public Life

Urban intervention research

Urban intervention research allows us to measure the impact of changes to the public realm on public life. Studying public life using ethnographic and spatial tools, we develop a better understanding of how public space and public life contribute to broader issues of well-being, prosperity, culture, resiliency and equality.

Public life tools & metrics

We constantly are working to develop metrics and tools that quantify the benefits of quality public space and robust public life. Through tools & metrics, we want to enable decision makers to use public life as a success criterion for making cities.

We Act as a Platform for
Systemic Change

Convening

We bring together people working on public life to build networks and empower them to integrate public life into their organizations and fields.

Learning

Communicating the value of public space and life to broader audiences through learning opportunities will allow people across many sectors to integrate public life tools & metrics into their field’s methodology.

Contact

We are interested in hearing from you!

People

Staff

Board of Directors

Jeff Risom

Gehl.org Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization doing business as Gehl Institute.
EIN Number 47-3249218

Shin-pei Tsay

Shin-pei’s diverse experience in practice, design, and policy converges on transforming the built environment so that it is more accessible, equitable, and sustainable.

About

We Study Public Life

Urban intervention research

Public life tools & metrics

We Act as a Platform for Systemic Change

Convening

Learning

Contact

We are interested in hearing from you!

People

Shin-pei Tsay

Marianna Vaidman Stone

Tara Eisenberg

Jennifer Gardner

Riley Gold

Larissa Begault

Kimberly C. Driggins

Heather Thompson

Benjamin de la Peña

David Burney

Helle Søholt

Jeff Risom

Regitze Hess

We Act as a Platform for
Systemic Change