The Peninsula, a collaboration between Gilbane Development Company, Hudson Companies and MHANY Management Inc. was selected by the New York City Economic Development Corporation to transform the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx’s Hunts Point community into a new mixed-use residential, retail, and light manufacturing site. The development will create approximately 740 units...

As I write, the days are getting longer and the anticipation of sunshine, warmth, and flowers flows through the veins. Pre-season baseball activities are a beacon of summer to come. And graduates-to-be across higher education are anticipating their next move. And it’s snowing—wouldn’t be March without that, too. Every year, especially from mid-January through April,...

Year after year, demand for local food increases and the need for expertise in green infrastructure and landscape-based resiliency strategies compounds. At the same time, workforce challenges in the industry have prevented many companies from growing sustainably. These horticulture, landscape, and nursery businesses face a fundamental common problem: a lack of young, trained people poised...

by Karen Karp This is a January like no other, and that’s because 2017 was a year like no other. You know what I’m talking about. But for this annual reflection and forecast I want to share an experience from November 9th, 2016. That’s right, the day after Election Day. I had just returned from...

Farm to Institution New England (FINE) was founded to build a network across New England states that would support efforts to increase institutional demand (from schools, universities, hospitals, corporate dining services, etc.) for regionally produced foods while also increasing local food producers’ and processors’ capacity to meet that demand. Their broader mission is to mobilize...

Karen Karp & Partners is provided consultation services for the Friends of the High Line to develop a refreshed concept, strategy, and business model for the park’s food program. Established in 2011, the High Line food program has always strived to offer interesting, sustainable, high quality, and fairly priced food and beverage options. And as...

Karen Karp & Partners (KK&P) was recently retained by the City of Charlotte, North Carolina to provide consulting services regarding improvements to the regional food system, specifically addressing the city’s farmers’ markets. The mission of the study is to develop recommendations for a market system that supports farmers, entrepreneurship, and food access while building community...

In conjunction with the James Beard Foundation 2017 Food Summit: Consuming Power, which took place this October 23rd and 24th, KK&P worked with The James Beard Foundation, Radius Global Market Research, and the Good Housekeeping Institute, to conduct a research study that examined American consumers’ motivations behind their food choices, beliefs, and behaviors. The goal...

Late last year, Karen Karp & Partners was retained by the Memphis-based AgLaunch to develop an innovation strategy to grow the regional agriculture system of the Mid-South Delta Region. Consisting of 98 counties in Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, the Mid-South Delta is home to remarkable assets that support a multi-billion-dollar agriculture and food economy....

At KK&P, more and more we are being called upon for our “thought leadership” – from one-off events to more complex design and facilitation to comprehensive agriculture and food sector strategic plans. Sometimes it’s the reason a client selects our firm over an equally experienced competitor. The term has become so commonplace, and I’ve accepted...

Over the past 6 years, Karen Karp & Partners has worked closely with the Rhode Island Food Policy Council (RIFPC) as they have grown and strengthened the state’s food system. First commissioned in 2011, KK&P detailed the then-current capacity of Rhode Island’s food system, identified priorities for the RIFPC and other stakeholders working to increase...