The multidisciplinary architecture, design and planning practice WXY architecture + urban design has announced the opening of a new office in Washington, D.C., led by Kushan Dave, who was named a director of planning in 2019.

With a focus on the firm’s renowned practice merging the design of public spaces and mixed-use developments with studies of land use, transportation and economic development, WXY is working on a range of high-level projects guiding planning and policy decisions in the Mid Atlantic for clients ranging from public school districts and government agencies to parks services and real estate developers.

Known as much for its architectural works as for successfully addressing complex regional and urban challenges with a mix of data analysis and deft community engagement, WXY architecture + urban design is uniquely poised to tackle emerging issues facing rapidly growing regions such as metropolitan Washington, D.C.

“Our opportunities in the D.C. metro region include public realm design and mixed-use developments as the area grows,” says Adam Lubinsky, PhD, AICP, the firm’s managing principal. “At the same time, our D.C. team led by Kushan Dave can help clients address the strains on infrastructure and transportation, which demand innovative solutions.”

A member of Urban Land Institute and the American Planning Association with expertise in both architecture and planning, Kushan Dave has collaborated on large-scale, creative masterplanning and design projects including Kearny Point, The Peninsula, and the North Brooklyn Industrial Innovation Plan. In Maryland, he is leading the Bowie and Vicinity Master Plan for the Maryland-National Parks and Planning Commission, working alongside HR&A Advisors and Toole Design Group. In addition, he is also leading a boundary analysis for Montgomery County Public Schools with the firms Public Engagement Associates and TransPar Group.

“These two new projects reflect and illustrate the challenging issues that emerge from a growing region,” says Mr. Dave, who has experience working in a number of metropolitan markets. “More important, they vividly demonstrate how many growth challenges are interconnected — housing, transportation, green infrastructure, school systems, and the like. As planners and urban designers, our main goal is to articulate the narrative of the places we work to help build an equitable and responsible future.”

In related news, WXY architecture + urban design has also established a new office in Chicago. Led by Traci Sanders, named the firm’s director of Civic Impact in 2017, WXY has built a growing portfolio of Midwestern projects in varied suburbs and cities including Detroit. With degrees from Cornell University and Saurashtra University in India, Kushan Dave brings WXY’s Washington, D.C. office a broad set of valuable skills for clients and projects. In addition to his demonstrated ability to use data and digital tools to solve complex civic issues, Dave is an expert in facilitating dialogues through gamification, a growing field of methods designed to spur stakeholder engagement. In 2012, Dave cofounded ModRoof, an affordable roofing systems company that recycles packaging and agricultural waste to provide affordable solutions to urban and rural areas around the world. He has also worked as a project leader for the architecture firm Rahul Mehrotra & Associates in Ahmedabad, India, and as an urban planner in the urban analytics practice at AECOM in Washington, D.C.

From the WXY architecture + urban design offices near DuPont Circle in the nation’s capital, Dave sees the potential for the firm’s growth and significant impact on the region’s challenges. “With our valuable synthesis of market analysis, creative community engagement, land use study and the design of transportation, urban and architectural interventions, WXY can develop a broad spectrum of solutions that address today’s major concerns,” he says Kushan. “It’s exciting to be part of the process and help shape the future of metro D.C.”

Widely published and frequently invited to speak at major conferences on urbanism and environmental innovation, Kushan Dave is available for  expertcommentary and lectures on infrastructure and transportation trends, population growth in Mid-Atlantic region, and approaches to regional planning and analysis.