Mallory B.E. Baches, AICP LEED-AP CNU-A is the President of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Celebrated for her previous practice as an urban designer, Mallory brings twenty-five years of international work in urban planning and community development to her role, as well as a wealth of experience in nonprofit leadership, having served as a staff member, a special advisor, and on the governing boards of organizations making an impact through urban change. She is accredited with the American Planning Association (AICP), the U.S. Green Building Council (LEED), and the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU-A). Her knowledge of urbanism was first developed at the University of Notre Dame's School of Architecture, including a year spent at the Rome Studies Program. She earned an MSc in Sustainable Urban Development from the University of Oxford, which is delivered in partnership with the Prince's Foundation for Building Community. Her original research dissertation on the intersection of historic preservation and social sustainability received honorable distinction and was included in CNU's New Urban Research selection in 2019. Mallory served as the inaugural CNU-A Fellow at the University of Miami School of Architecture. She was named a member of the 2013 Next Urban Vanguard class by Next City, is a former board member and President of the Association for Community Design, and is a member the Urban Guild. She is a contributing author to Smart Cities Policies and Financing: Approaches and Solutions (Elsevier), and she speaks and writes on architecture, planning, and urban sustainability.
Speaking at
Wed Oct 30
2:30 PM — 3:30 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time
Resorts World Las Vegas - Level 2, Blossom ABC
CBD to TBD: Broadening the Conversation and Reimagining Our Cities
Category
Mixed-Use
With falling office property values, soaring housing costs, and the ever-growing climate crisis, repurposing vacant office buildings in central business districts into vital residential units seems like the solution everyone is seeking. However, not all office buildings are ripe for conversion into residential units. Recent studies have found that roughly 10 to 25 percent of office assets prove physically feasible for residential conversion. In the face of this challenge, how might we envision alternative uses for these properties? How can we not only breathe new life into underutilized buildings, to ensure the vibrancy of our central business districts, but seize this as an opportunity to support equity and resiliency of our urban landscapes, all while aligning with the financial imperatives of lenders, developers, and landlords? This is not just a question of innovation—it's a policy and design challenge to reimagine our cities for a sustainable future.