Ben Shardlow is an urban planner and designer focused on public space as a key civic resource. As Director of Urban Design for the Mpls Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District, Ben advocates for investments that create a more successful pedestrian environment – including street redesigns, park and plaza projects, and private property redevelopments – and leads collaborative work with community partners addressing root causes of public space challenges. Ben conceived of and directed the DID’s Tactical Urbanism Initiative, which reframed safety hotspots as urban design challenges that can be addressed by experimental changes to environmental design and activation.
Ben Shardlow
