Larisalena Ortiz

Teaches at Pratt Institute

Larisa Ortiz is principal of Larisa Ortiz Associates (LOA) where she specializes in developing retail strategies for business districts in urban markets. She is the author of Improving Tenant Mix: A Guide for Commercial District Practitioners (ICSC, 2015) and Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse (IEDC, 2000), and is founder and editor of The Commercial District Advisor newsletter and blog. 

Since starting LOA in 2008, Larisa has developed retail and implementation strategies for over 80 districts nationwide. Most recently, Larisa was tasked with developing a comprehensive commercial district assessment tool for the City of New York. The tool is currently being used by grantees to assess and diagnose district needs. Other recent projects include a City-wide market analysis for the City of Trenton, NJ, and a repositioning and retail attraction strategy for the Chinatown-International District in Seattle, WA.  

Larisa is a Mayoral-appointee to the New York City Planning Commission and teaches at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She serves on the Board of the International Downtown Association (IDA) and as Eastern Division Co-Chair of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Alliance Program. She also serves as Co-Chair of the City of New York's One New York Plan and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Regional Planning Association's Fourth Regional Plan. 

A Watson Fellow and Fulbright Scholar, Larisa holds a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).