Chad Rochkind
I'm the founder of Human Scale Studios, a strategic consultancy that helps corporations, foundations, and cultural institutions plan for the urban future. I'm also a writer.
Prior to Human Scale, I served as Executive Director of Urban Social Assembly.
As a graduate of NYU's one-of-a-kind masters program in Historical and Sustainable Architecture, I spent some time in London and learned to live at the intersection of community organizing and the built environment.I wrote my thesis on alternative and bottom-up forms of urban development: pop-ups, food trucks, civic mobile apps, and other phenomena that are reshaping cities.
In a former life I was a vagabond poet, but now my dreams are more akin with Jane Jacobs than Jack Kerouac. Above all, I think well designed urban environments are the most effective means of fostering the ideals of social justice and community, and I view it as my life's mission to promote these wherever possible.
I was a strategist for Synthesis Corp. I wrote grants for CASA-NYC, and I spearheaded their web overhaul on the cheap. I organized events for Treehouse Gallery and helped a brilliant team of artists create a unique community space in Dogpatch, San Francisco. We even got a write-up in Dwell.Before that, I was poetry buyer at the world famous City Lights Booksellers and Publishers.
I like the world best when art is infused into everyday living.
I have an eye for spotting macro-trends before they emerge. I see connections where others see chaos.