Eri Furusawa (古澤えり) supports public- and private-sector clients across the U.S. and in Japan on issues of equitable governance, inclusive community engagement, and climate change. Her work includes Talking Transition, a civic engagement effort to support progressive elected officials elevate community voice to shape their agendas; Reclaim Gwinnett Place Mall, an inclusive community engagement initiative to support Gwinnett County, GA to redevelop a large downtown shopping mall while ensuring the benefits of economic growth are shared by the County’s diverse residents and workers; and supporting the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (formerly Mayor’s Office of Resiliency) to assess the impacts of climate hazards with a focus on historically marginalized New Yorkers. Eri is currently a Director at HR&A Advisors, a New York-based urban policy advisory firm. Prior to joining HR&A, she worked in the Zoning and Urban Design Divisions at the New York City Department of City Planning to advance a large-scale zoning amendment to make the city more resilient to flooding.
Eri graduated from the University of Tokyo in 2016 with a B.E. in Architecture. She obtained her M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP), and received the American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student Award. Her studies at GSAPP were made possible by the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship.
Alongside her role at HR&A, Eri serves on the Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change for the City of Somerville, Massachusetts where she currently resides. Her website can be accessed here: https://www.erifurusawa.com/
