Turning Plans Into Action: A Coffee with Kyle Beyer, Associate at Karp Strategies

Pictured: Kyle Beyer, Associate

In this conversation, Kyle talks about his journey across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors and how those experiences inform his work at Karp Strategies. He reflects on the role of placemaking, stakeholder engagement, and workforce development in shaping equitable communities, and shares how data analysis and visualization can unlock new insights for planning and investment. He also discusses what excites him about supporting main street revitalization and borough-wide workforce initiatives. Keep reading to learn more!

How do you like your coffee?

I like my coffee black, with no cream or sugar.

How did your career lead you to joining Karp Strategies?

I did my undergrad in Toronto. I knew I wanted to work with cities, housing, development, and architecture, but I was still figuring out which direction to take. To test the waters, I interned at a public facilitation firm on Bathurst Street that taught me so much about the planning process and community engagement. After graduating, I got my first job at Gensler, a global design firm, on the business development team, overseeing scope and bid development for projects in urban planning and design. I worked at Gensler for six years, and during that time I transferred to the firm’s New York office.

Similar to a lot of people, I got the urge to make a major career change during the pandemic, and decided to pursue a Master of Urban Planning degree at NYU. While I was in graduate school, I joined Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Capital Projects team, overseeing wholesale construction projects across the park. That role was almost the exact opposite of my previous work at Gensler and the Toronto facilitation firm. Instead of focusing on early-stage planning and development, I got to see projects through construction and completion, watching incredible new spaces and infrastructure be used and loved by the public. It gave me a full-circle perspective on how planning translates into real spaces.

While I was at NYU, Rebecca Karp came to speak to my capstone class. I was really inspired by what she said about consulting, the types of projects Karp Strategies works on, and her view of what consultants can contribute to planning and city building in New York. When I saw an opening at Karp Strategies in 2023, I applied immediately. I have been at Karp Strategies since then, and am now a Project Manager at the firm.

What do you enjoy most about working at Karp Strategies?

The people are definitely what I enjoy most. I am constantly impressed by my colleagues. They are incredibly smart, deeply passionate about planning and engagement, and committed to the future of New York. I organize a trivia night for the firm, and we often have both current and former colleagues join. It is always such a great reminder that Karp Strategies is a community of talented, caring people who remain connected even after moving on to other opportunities.

Another thing I enjoy is the diversity of projects. No two days are alike. Right now, for example, I am working on a research project in East New York that focuses on childcare, a master plan for the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and a housing development on Staten Island. This means I am both moving around the city and applying myself to very different types of projects, keeping me challenged and engaged.

Finally, I appreciate the collaborative environment that comes with being part of a smaller firm. At Karp Strategies, we can all shape the direction of the company. Just the other week our team met to brainstorm new service areas and verticals. That kind of open collaboration is rare at larger firms, and it makes me feel like my input matters and actually impacts the trajectory of the company.

What is the most important thing about your role as a Project Manager/Associate at Karp Strategies, especially one that might not be obvious?

On the surface, I might say calendars, budgets, and planning are the most important part of my role as a Project Manager. But what might not be as obvious is how much of my role is about aligning the talents and interests of my colleagues with project needs. Being a Project Manager is like working on a puzzle. I could assign the same task to the same person every week, but that does not help them grow. Instead, I look for ways to expose team members to new challenges and develop their expertise.

How do you balance immediate community concerns, such as construction impacts, with long-term climate adaptation needs?

From my experience on the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project in The Battery, I’ve found the most important thing is to make sure residents and businesses feel heard in the present. It is tempting to focus only on the long-term benefits, but if people feel sidelined during construction, and their concerns and frustrations regarding construction go unheard, you’ll lose their trust and that is very hard to get back. Proactive communication and transparency are key here. It is crucial to show people that while the disruption is temporary, the benefits—like flood protection and improved infrastructure—will last for generations. Making that case and helping communities see themselves as partners in the long-term solution rather rather than obstacles to get past.

What factors make the difference between a plan that gets implemented and one that stays on paper? 

Implementation is where many plans fail, especially when communities feel “engagement fatigue” from being asked the same questions over and over again without seeing results. For the 149th Street Study in the South Bronx, our team made a conscious effort to ensure that the strategies we put forward were actionable and realistic. That meant identifying potential funding sources and precedents. Instead of naming a single person or entity to lead a strategy, we worked to embed our recommendations within an ecosystem of partners who could share responsibility to increase the likelihood of implementation.

For New York Forward programs, the approach was similar but tailored to small towns across New York State. We designed workshops to introduce trade-offs, like cost and construction timelines, and then asked the communities to prioritize investments in their main street based on those trade-offs. This empowered locals to make informed decisions about what would have the most immediate and long-term impact.

From your perspective, how can economic revitalization avoid displacement while still attracting investment?

In the South Bronx, part of the 149th Street corridor study required us to think critically about economic development. It is easy to attract new businesses or expand existing institutions, but the real question is whether the local community will benefit. Our team worked with local workforce development organizations to ensure recommendations were designed with locals in mind through curriculum, apprenticeships, and job fairs. Together we are creating opportunities that lift locals up rather than push them out of their community.

Have you seen successful examples of aligning small business growth with broader urban planning strategies?

In New York Forward projects, many of the proposed initiatives were small business improvement funds—for things like façade repairs, new signage, or renovations. On the surface, these may seem minor, but they align closely with broader strategies for corridor revitalization. By improving the look and feel of small businesses, you create visible momentum. It signals to the community and potential investors that the area is worth supporting. These small improvements can spark larger waves of investment while keeping the benefits rooted in the local community.

Fast Facts

• Last TV show I binge-watched: The Gilded Age on HBO.

• Restaurant I’d recommend: El Tenampa in South Slope. They have my favorite tacos in New York and a great salsa bar.

• Best concert I’ve experienced: It’s hard to top Lady Gaga, but I love going to concerts with my dad who is obsessed with music, particularly Elvis Costello.

• Book that changed me: Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous comes to mind. I’d also add The City in History by Lewis Mumford, which made me realize planning was for me in undergrad.

• Favorite course in graduate school: My capstone, where I worked with Jersey City on their Greenway Connectivity Project. I loved applying what I learned in a hands-on, field-based way.

• Movies I’d pay to see again and again: They couldn’t be more different, but I love both the Alien franchise or just about any Hayao Miyazaki movie.

• My heroes are: My husband, Boen, and my parents.