More about me

I work at the intersection of cities, infrastructure, and civic systems.

My work focuses on how complex systems—development, infrastructure, policy, and governance—come together at the scale of place, and how they can be better aligned and understood to shape more effective and inclusive outcomes for communities.

Headshot of Stephen Klimek

Professional Background

Cultivating and nurturing place as a pathway to prosperity

My background spans planning, design, and economic development, with experience across public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and place-based initiatives. Much of my work sits between how systems are built and how they are experienced.

Most recently, I served as Executive Director of the Towerside Innovation District, where I led work on district-scale infrastructure, development coordination, and cross-sector partnerships.

Previously, I worked at the Metropolitan Council, where I co-created the Art + Policy initiative—embedding creative practice into regional planning and civic engagement—and at The Cornerstone Group, a mission-driven real estate development company.

My work has involved leading and supporting initiatives across:

  • district-scale infrastructure and land development

  • regional planning and policy

  • community engagement and creative placemaking

  • cross-sector collaboration and governance

I’ve worked with public agencies, private development, community organizations, and non-profit partners to advance projects that require coordination across disciplines and systems.

My North Star

Across my work, I’ve been particularly interested in two challenges:

  1. How physical systems are coordinated and delivered

  2. How those systems are experienced and engaged by the publics they impact

The built environment and place-based work operate as a system. Places are shaped by the interaction of multiple layers—physical infrastructure, policy frameworks, institutional structures, and community experience. Most challenges emerge not from any one of these, but from how they relate to each other.

My work focuses on helping align these layers while making them more legible and accessible, so systems not only function more effectively, but can also be understood and shaped by the people they impact.

I also engage in design leadership efforts that contribute to expanding this field of work.

I’m interested in continuing to work on projects at the intersection of systems, place, and public life—particularly those that require new ways of coordinating, translating, and engaging complex challenges.

A man in a gray blazer and gray pants sitting on a white chair on stage, holding a microphone, wearing brown shoes and colorful polka dot socks. Behind him are colorful illustrated banners and logos, and a gray curtain.
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Two smiling people, a man and a woman, holding signs with messages about community. They are standing in front of a exposed brick wall.

Design Leadership

  • A diverse group of 20 people posing together in professional attire in an office with large windows overlooking a cityscape, including tall buildings and a partly cloudy sky.

    Mayors' Institute on City Design

    MICD:81 Providence

    Selected as a Design Resource Team member for the Mayors’ Institute on City Design’s 81st national session, working directly with mayors to explore place-based design strategies and complex urban challenges.

  • Group of diverse people posing for a photo in a large, ornate indoor space with high ceilings and decorative architecture.

    Mpact Transit+Community Conference

    National Steering Committee Member

    Selected to serve on a binational steering committee of practitioners shaping the direction of Mpact’s transit and community development work, including its annual conference and year-round learning initiatives.

  • An aerial view of an outdoor event with a colorful mural on a long trailer, a modern round building, people walking, and a parking lot. In the background, there are train tracks with freight trains, trees, and industrial buildings.

    Creative Enterprise Zone

    Officer & Board Member

    Serve as a board officer guiding strategy for equitable development, including mission-driven acquisitions, redevelopment planning, and community investment models, alongside strengthening organizational systems and funding capacity.

  • A diverse group of people sitting and standing on wide concrete stairs outside a modern building with glass walls and interior lighting.

    Rose Architectural Fellow

    Enterprise Community Partners

    Selected for Rose Architectural Fellow (2015-2017), embedding architects within community development organizations to support equitable and sustainable development. Led design and engagement work across affordable housing and neighborhood initiatives, aligning community priorities with design and implementation.

  • Group of people posing for a photo on wooden steps inside a modern building with glass and metal architecture.

    Association for Community Design

    ACD Board Member & Board Co-Chair

    Serve as Board Co-Chair for a national organization advancing community-engaged design, helping guide strategy and strengthen a network of practitioners working at the intersection of design and community development.

  • A group of people at an award ceremony, with two men in the center holding a certificate and a folder, and a woman standing beside them, all smiling.

    Engagement Fellow

    Syracuse University Engagement Fellow

    Selected fellowship focused on advancing university-community partnerships through planning, design, and neighborhood-based economic development initiatives. Recognition included a feature in the Venice Architecture Biennale: Spontaneous Interventions, the Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement, and the Imagining America Merit Award.