Syed’s research and analysis guides strategies for equitable urban development related to food, health, technology, and wealth.

 
Based in HR&A’s New York office, Syed supports market studies and economic impact analyses around the country for projects such as the development of an innovation district in Oklahoma as well as an impact assessment of an urban technology company in New York City.
 
Prior to joining HR&A, Syed worked at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development as a Neighborhood Planning Intern and supported comprehensive multi-agency neighborhood planning studies and housing plans for the City of New York. Syed spent four years setting digital communications strategy for FoodCorps, a national nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food in school. He worked to expand and diversify the organization’s reach, redesign its website and brand identity, and collaborate cross-functionally on fundraising, recruitment, and advocacy campaigns.
 
While studying urban planning at Harvard University, Syed worked on business district management strategies, a proposal for an immigrant food business incubator, a health lens analysis of Boston’s Chinatown, and a framework for a network of worker cooperatives serving Miami’s healthcare anchor institutions. As a teaching assistant, Syed supported a seminar on community development, a project-based course focused on inequality in Miami, and an interdisciplinary design studio on the future of streets in Los Angeles. He also participated in the Urban Land Institute’s Randall Lewis Health Mentorship Program and co-led a student group focused on healthy places.
 
In addition to a Master in Urban Planning from Harvard University, Syed holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, where he studied government and English.

Wesleyan University Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Board Member