Kristopher Larson

An award-winning planner by trade but an economist at heart, Kristopher has spent nearly a decade helping good cities develop plans to become great. Career stops as an urban designer and an economic developer enable him to speak with an enlightened enthusiasm about how the confluence marketplace dynamics, architecture, and the public realm translate into defining, place-making experiences. He has published dozens of articles on planning, real estate, and economic development, including the cover article for this month’s edition of Western Real Estate Business, and is a frequent speaker for professional organizations such as the International Downtown Association (IDA), the California Downtown Association, and the Urban Land Institute.

Since February 2009, Kristopher has served as the Vice President of the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA), a quasi-governmental organization that serves as the conduit between the public and private sectors. In that stead, Larson sets the course for the economic development activities for Downtown Long Beach, which includes a comprehensive set of business recruitment, business retention, and capital improvement programs. He also guides the Property-Based Improvement District renewal process, which has built bridges between the business and residential communities in Downtown Long Beach.

Between 2009-2010, Kristopher spearheaded a grassroots, collaborative economic development rarely attempted in economic development planning entitled Retail Visioning. Involving hundreds of community members and more than a dozen organizations, Retail Visioning guides the DLBA’s economic development activities and was recognized as a Merit Award Winner in 2010 by the International Downtown Association for its achievement in Planning. That planning endeavor has parlayed the successful recruitment of dozens of new office and retail tenants to Downtown Long Beach.