Thank you to all who supported and attended the 2026 RPA Assembly!

Each year, Regional Plan Association convenes 1,000 policy experts, public officials, and business leaders at the RPA Assembly to debate bold solutions for the tri-state metropolitan region’s most pressing challenges:

Addressing climate change
Promoting inclusive growth
Developing transportation systems that work for all of us.

Full recording of Friday Program at Pier 60. Click here for presentation slides from Edward Glaeser.

Download your step and repeat photos!

Did you take a picture in front of our step and repeat at Assembly? See the full gallery and download your image.

Assembly VIP Kickoff Reception

See photos from the Monday kick-off reception

view and download

In-Person Assembly Schedule — Friday, May 1

11-12

Opening reception hosted by Boingo

12-2

Luncheon program and Zuccotti Award presentation

2-4

Closing reception hosted by United Airlines

Keynote Speaker

Mikie Sherrill, the 57th Governor of New Jersey, will join the 2026 RPA Assembly on May 1 as keynote speaker.

From her support of the Gateway Program to her laser-focus on affordability, Mikie Sherrill is a shining example of an elected official who delivers on her promises. Learn more about Governor Sherrill.

Zohran Mamdani, 112th Mayor of New York City, will join the 2026 RPA Assembly on May 1 as a mainstage speaker.

A former housing counselor, Mamdani brings a deep commitment to working-class New Yorkers to his leadership as mayor. Learn more about Mayor Mamdani.

Zuccotti Award

2026 John Zuccotti Award

RPA’s highest award for leadership in the region is named after John E. Zuccotti, a long-serving member of the RPA Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Presented each year at RPA’s annual Assembly, the award recognizes a leader who has made extraordinary contributions to the built environment of the tri-state metropolitan region.

Learn more about this year’s honoree

Presented to

Kathryn Garcia

Kathryn Garcia, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is a long-time public servant leading important projects for our region.

Mainstage Presentation

Infrastructure, Urban Survival and the Metropolitan Region

The tri-state metropolitan region faces more competition than ever in an age of remote work and political turmoil. Our success depends on being a great place to live as well as work. A quality of life strategy is also an economic development strategy, and infrastructure plays a critical role in making the entire region thrive. Dr. Glaeser’s remarks will explain how infrastructure, incentives and institutions can come together to make the metropolis stronger.

Presentation by Edward L. Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard University

Virtual Panels — Monday April 27 - Thursday April 30

Monday: Achieving Affordability Through Abundance
Tuesday: The Grid of the Future
Wednesday: What Helps Us Move in the Future?
Thursday: Creating Opportunity for All: Building the Housing We Need

Assembly Speakers

Alex Armlovich

Program Officer, Abundance & Growth, Coefficient Giving
Marty Beard

CEO, Hayden AI
Leila Bozorg

Deputy Mayor, Housing and Planning, New York City
The Reverend James Clark III

Managing Director, Mission Real Estate Development, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies
Karen DuBois-Walton

President and CEO, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Marc Dunkelman

Fellow in International and Public Affairs, Brown University
Hugh Frater

Chairman of Vessel Technologies
Matías Garibaldi

Associate Partner, New York City, McKinsey & Company
Edward L. Glaeser

Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Jennifer Granholm

CEO, Granholm Energy, LLC; 16th United States Secretary of Energy
Ligia Guallpa

Executive Director, Worker’s Justice Project
Jen Hensley

Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Con Edison
Diana Hernandez, PhD

Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University
Justine Johnson

Chief Mobility Officer, Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (State of Michigan)
Derek Kaufman

Founder and CEO, Inclusive Abundance
Sarah S. Keh

Vice President of Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial
Kris Kolluri

President & Chief Executive Officer of NJ TRANSIT; Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority
Hon. Zohran Mamdani

Mayor of New York City
Stacey Matlen

Senior Vice President of Innovation, Partnership for New York City
Houtan Moaveni

Vice President, Grid Strategies
Blondel A. Pinnock

President and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Angela Pinsky

Head of Community Engagement, Amazon New York
Mike Richter

President, Brightcore Energy, LLC
Jean Roehrenbeck

Deputy Executive Director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Hon. Mikie Sherrill

Governor of New Jersey
Tiffany-Ann Taylor

Chief Strategy Officer, NYC Department of Transportation
Veronica Vanterpool

Senior Vice President & Americas Transit Lead, AECOM
Ellen Zuckerman

Head of Energy Market Development North and South America, Google
Hon. Andrew Zwicker

New Jersey State Senator
Moses Gates

Vice President, Housing & Neighborhood Planning, RPA