Pallavi Shinde, who graduated from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in 2012, is featured on the cover of Planning Magazine’s Winter 2026 edition. Shinde serves as the Planning and Zoning Director for Newark. The magazine’s cover story highlights Newark’s initiatives in adaptive reuse, particularly focusing on transforming underused office and historic commercial buildings into new housing and mixed-use spaces in the downtown area.
Shinde discusses how rising demand for housing in Newark is influencing how cities view their existing building resources. The article features projects such as Walker House at 540 Broad Street, a building originally constructed in 1929 for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company that now includes 264 apartments and ground-floor retail. Twenty percent of these apartments are designated for households earning between 40–50 percent of the area median income, supporting Newark’s inclusionary zoning policies to give current residents priority access to new housing.
Other developments mentioned include the conversion of office space at 10 Commerce Court into 110 residential units with retail amenities, as well as plans to turn the long-vacant 10 Park Place into 231 affordable housing units. These projects demonstrate Newark’s efforts to address national trends such as high office vacancy rates and ongoing housing shortages while maintaining architectural heritage and improving access to transportation, green spaces, and employment opportunities.
For Shinde, adaptive reuse extends beyond environmental sustainability. She states it is about “restoring dignity to the built environment” and reconnecting older structures with city life—especially important in places where much historic architecture has been lost over time. Over the past ten years, her leadership at the intersection of policy, preservation, and development has worked to balance public interests with private investment, feasibility with history, and long-term planning with immediate housing needs.
The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy is part of Rutgers University and focuses on education and research related to planning and public policy in order to support equitable communities. The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs including urban planning, health administration, public policy, and more; it also operates research centers dedicated to areas like transportation, health, community development, workforce development, energy policy, among others (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/). It holds accreditations for its programs—including recognition from national bodies—and maintains a strong reputation through national rankings for its graduate urban planning program.
Since its establishment in 1992 as part of former Rutgers President Bloustein’s initiative to promote public service partnerships (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/), the school has recognized alumni achievements through a Hall of Fame created in 2013 (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/) and annual awards since 1994.
Shinde’s recent feature highlights not only her work but also reflects on the role of Bloustein School alumni contributing significantly to planning practices addressing contemporary urban challenges.
