The Upside of Downtown: How to Revitalize and Renew the Heart of the City

About the Panelists

Rich Hillis is the Planning Director for the City and County of San Francisco. Mr. Hillis is responsible for overseeing long range city planning, development review, and environmental review for most physical development in San Francisco. Prior to joining San Francisco Planning , Mr. Hillis served as the Executive Director for the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Before joining the Fort Mason Center, Mr. Hillis served as Deputy Director of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, where he managed all aspects of the redevelopment of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island into a new 8,000-unit, mixed-use neighborhood, led efforts on priority Port development projects, and oversaw efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for development along Octavia Boulevard.

Sarah Dennis-Phillips is the Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. A trained urban planner, Sarah began her California career in downtown revitalization, working to build thriving downtowns in Mountain View, Livermore, Redwood City, and other northern California cities. Sarah’s service to the City of San Francisco started in 2005, first in the Planning Department before moving to OEWD as Deputy Director of Development. In 2019, Sarah transitioned to the private sector, joining the San Francisco offices of Tishman Speyer, where she led development and placemaking efforts creating urban neighborhoods with high levels of affordability, public space, and transit.

Robbie Silver is the President & CEO for the Downtown SF Partnership, an urban placemaking and management organization that encompasses the 43-block Financial District and Jackson Square neighborhood. During his time in San Francisco, Robbie led the board of directors through a 3-year strategic planning process and published the award-winning “Downtown San Francisco Public Realm Action Plan,” a roadmap to reimagine downtown with tactical urbanism strategies and creation of new public spaces. An advocate for recovery of downtown city centers, Robbie has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Washington Post, and Smart Cities.

Ben Tranel, AIA, LEED AP is Managing Director at Gensler and an architect focused on the transformational power of design, specifically how the built environment communicates values and shapes human experiences. His portfolio includes a range of project types across geographies, including the 632-meter Shanghai Tower, the PNC Tower, the Zeiss Innovation Center, the Meta Campus at Burlingame Point, and the 200 Park office tower in San Jose. Ben also chaired the jury for the Americas Awards Excellence Program for the Urban Land Institute.

Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of Union Square Alliance. The Union Square Alliance serves its members and creates a high-quality, complete neighborhood experience by managing and activating public spaces; supporting existing businesses and attracting new investments; and convening, partnering, and advocating for the District’s future success.