Jay Pitter
Author and Placemaker
Jay Pitter, MES, is an author and placemaker whose practice mitigates growing divides in urban centers. She spearheads institutional city-building projects, rooted in neighborhood knowledge, focused on: cultural heritage interpretive planning, gender-based mapping, inclusive public engagement, safe streets, and healing fraught sites.
Creating more inclusive cities is not just a professional mission for Pitter, it is personal. Her city-building values are informed by the long-term mentorship of her second-grade Irish-Canadian teacher who modeled the power of reaching across social divides when she was a child growing up in social housing.
As a result of these rich experiences and international portfolio, Pitter shapes urgent city-building conversations through media platforms such as the Agenda and Canadian Architect — as a keynote speaker for organizations like the UN Women and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — and as lecturer and knowledge producer in urban planning faculties across North America.
Recently, Pitter consulted on Edmonton’s new heritage plan; hosted a professional development luncheon for women city-builders in Detroit; shared her placemaking principles with Memphis River Parks Partnership; initiated a safe and connected streets engagement following the mass shooting in Toronto; and led (RE)IMAGINING CHEAPSIDE, a Confederate monument placemaking process in Lexington.