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321M Fayerweather Hall

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415 Avery Hall

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400 Avery Hall

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Academic Calendar, GSAPP

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407 Avery Hall
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405 Avery Hall
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Architecture Studio Lottery

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Avery Library

300 Avery Hall
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Joanna Joseph, Isabelle Kirkham-Lewitt

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Black Student Alliance at Columbia GSAPP

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C

Career Services

300M Avery Hall

Karen Cover, Rebecca Andersen Polimeda, Douglas Woodward, Sarahgrace Godwin

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Faculty Directory

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Honor System

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Job Opportunities at Columbia

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LatinGSAPP

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Schermerhorn Extension Floor 1

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Onera Prize for Historic Preservation

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GSAPP Admissions 407 Avery Hall

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New York, NY 10027

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Registration

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STEM Designation

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Student Affairs

400 Avery Hall

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/architecture-st…

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Support GSAPP

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Travel Guide

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URBAN Magazine

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Website

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Kate Ascher

Kate Ascher is the Paul Milstein Professor of Professional Practice of Urban Development at Columbia GSAPP, where she teaches real estate, infrastructure, and urban planning courses. In addition to teaching at Columbia, she serves in an advisory capacity to Buro Happold’s U.S. Cities Group, the consulting arm of the global engineering firm, which she founded and led for a decade.

Ascher’s professional interests include the structuring of public-private partnerships, public infrastructure planning, building decarbonization, and transit-oriented and economic development. Her teaching and scholarship draw on her track record of leadership in these areas in government and industry.

In the public sector, she completed major infrastructure, real estate, and waterfront redevelopment projects for both New York State and New York City. She also served as Deputy Director of the Port at the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J., responsible for implementing on-dock rail facilities and establishing the first trans-Hudson ferry service in over a generation.

In the private sector, Ascher worked in Corporate Finance for Price Waterhouse Coopers in London, leading a series of infrastructure privatizations in the UK and Europe. She also served as Director of Development for Vornado Realty Trust in New York, structuring complex development partnerships at major transit nodes in Manhattan.

Kate has authored several books on urban infrastructure, and recently co-authored an illustrated history of New York’s real estate development. She serves on the Board of the Zurich-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction and is Board Chair of the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center in Brooklyn.

Courses

Course	Semester	Title	Student Work	Instructor	Syllabus	Requirements & Sequence	Location & Time	Session & Points	Call No.
PLAN6272‑1	Fall 2025	New York Rising: How Real Estate Shapes a City		Kate Ascher		ALL GSAPP	114 Avery F 11 AM - 1 PM	Full Semester 3 Points	10438
PLCE4444‑1	Fall 2025	The Future City: Transforming Urban Infrastructure		Kate Ascher, Andrew Smyth		All University	113 Avery TU 1 PM - 3 PM	Full Semester 3 Points	10890

Recent News

Faculty Kate Ascher moderates “Lighting Talk Session: Innovation and Sustainability, “ at Columbia Data Science Institute’s flagship annual event on April 4

Columbia News profiles Professor Kate Ascher's cross-disciplinary course co-taught with Engineering faculty Andrew Smith and supported by a grant from the Office of the Provost

Professor Kate Ascher participates in the 2023 Harlem Historic Preservation Conference hosted at City College

Professor Kate Ascher speaks about history and context of NYC infrastructure on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show