Highland Planning LLC

Highland Planning LLC Highland Planning is a consultancy firm specializing in Urban Planning and Design, Landscape Architecture, and Public Engagement.

At Highland Planning, our passion for social good drives us to transform communities and improve lives through creative public engagement, planning, and design strategies. As a certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) in New York State and Massachusetts, our team of planners, designers, architects, and community outreach experts is certified by t

he American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). We prioritize building trust with our clients and community partners by listening closely and facilitating open and constructive dialogues. We empower diverse stakeholders to inform better decisions, ensuring every voice is heard and acknowledged. Our "Highland Way" approach applies the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) methodology to promote diversity, document community priorities, and develop equitable recommendations for each place's full potential. We are agile enough to ramp up swiftly on complex projects, and our services include comprehensive planning, transportation, climate resilience, public space design, and more. We are passionate about engaging historically marginalized populations and offer various services, including facilitating constructive community dialogues, co-creating culturally competent outreach plans, conducting GIS analyses, providing planning-level cost estimates, preparing communities for climate impacts, designing vibrant public spaces, and fostering public understanding of strategic improvements.

We’re proud to celebrate our own Stephanie Hyde, Community Engagement Planner at Highland Planning, for being named a 20...
05/14/2026

We’re proud to celebrate our own Stephanie Hyde, Community Engagement Planner at Highland Planning, for being named a 2026 Re:Gen Rising honoree by the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce! 🎉

Stephanie’s passion for community engagement, collaboration, and creating meaningful impact continues to strengthen the communities we serve across the region. We’re excited to see her recognized among Greater Rochester’s next generation of leaders and changemakers.

Congratulations, Stephanie, on this well-deserved honor — we can’t wait to celebrate with you in June! 👏

Learn More: https://www.greaterrochesterchamber.com/2026/05/12/greater-rochester-chamber-of-commerce-announces-20-honorees-for-2026-regen-rising-program/

We’re looking forward to the High Falls State Park Public Open House today, May 5, from 4-7PM! ‼️Due to the forecast of ...
05/05/2026

We’re looking forward to the High Falls State Park Public Open House today, May 5, from 4-7PM!

‼️Due to the forecast of inclement weather, the venue has been moved down the street to La Luna‼️

We hope you’ll stop by La Luna (60 Browns Race, Rochester, NY) to meet the project team and check out the updated design for Terrace Park!

Learn more at: https://highfallsstateparkny.com/

We’re excited to share Highland Planning’s Emma Falkenstein on the GovLove podcast by Engaging Local Government Leaders ...
04/16/2026

We’re excited to share Highland Planning’s Emma Falkenstein on the GovLove podcast by Engaging Local Government Leaders 🎙️

Emma highlights how participatory mapping and walk audits recently implemented in Rochester, NY’s MARC - Monroe Avenue Revitalization Coalition can turn residents' real-life experiences into actionable outcomes, and how local governments and community organizations can do the same. Plus, you get a sneak peek into Emma's story and what inspires her to help communities transform through creative public engagement, planning, and design strategies at Highland Planning.

🎧 Listen in: https://elgl.org/podcast-how-participatory-mapping-can-transform-your-community-with-emma-falkenstein-highland-planning/

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.Today, we’re featuring Lauren ...
03/31/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.

Today, we’re featuring Lauren Oertel, AICP, Associate Planner in our Albany office, and the changemaker who inspires her: Jane Addams.

A pioneer of social reform and founder of Hull House, Addams helped redefine the role of community in shaping opportunity, demonstrating that the built environment and social well-being are deeply connected. Her work replaced traditional charity with a model rooted in dignity, empowerment, and collective action.

For Lauren, Addams’ legacy is a constant reminder that planning is most impactful when it’s grounded in the lived experiences of the people it serves.

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.Today, we’re featuring Stephan...
03/30/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.

Today, we’re featuring Stephanie Hyde, our Rochester-based Community Engagement Planner, and the voice that guides both her professional and personal approach: Maya Angelou.

Maya’s words that guide Stephanie’s work:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Why it matters to Stephanie:
"This quote reflects how I aim to move through the world—with kindness, respect, and empathy. In both my work and my personal life, I believe even small acts of compassion can make a meaningful difference. Her words remind me always to recognize the dignity and humanity in everyone around me."

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people and stories that inspire our team.Today, we’re feat...
03/29/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people and stories that inspire our team.

Today, we’re featuring Katrina Lim, our Office Manager, and someone who has deeply influenced her: Rochester-based storyteller Penny Sterling.

Penny’s words on finding her place in the world:
"I have found solace, grace, joy, and kinship in the company of women, in ways that I couldn’t even comprehend before I transitioned. Sometimes it feels like I didn’t transition so much as I just came home."

Why it matters to Katrina:
"Penny has shown me how to not only be my authentic and truest self, but to speak up for others, especially the trans community. She is one of the most inspiring women I know."

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team. Today, we’re featuring Sara C...
03/28/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.

Today, we’re featuring Sara Constantineau, Landscape Designer and Planner in our Albany office, and the leader who inspires her: Wangari Maathai.

A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the founder of the Green Belt Movement, Maathai’s work integrates climate resilience, gender advocacy, and environmental sustainability to address critical challenges facing marginalized communities.

Sara shares:
"Reading Wangari Maathai’s memoir Unbowed taught me that women’s rights, environmental justice, and democracy are inextricably linked, and that small actions over time, such as planting seeds, can grow into a global movement."

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.Today, we’re featuring Leanne ...
03/27/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing the people who inspire our team.

Today, we’re featuring Leanne Voit, AICP, our Practice Leader in our Buffalo office, and the women who inspire her most: her Chosen Sisters. The friends who have been by her side since architecture school.

"Soul sisters are connected by the heart, united by dreams, and bonded by love." — Melody Truong

While history offers many icons, Leanne draws her everyday strength from a closer circle: Abby, Becky, and Cathryn. From navigating career pivots to growing families together, these architects, planners, and leaders have provided a lifetime of support.

For Leanne, they are a powerful reminder that we are strongest when we lift each other up.

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing what inspires our team. Today, we’re featuring Tanya Mooza, AI...
03/27/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing what inspires our team. Today, we’re featuring Tanya Mooza, AICP, our Rochester-based Founder and CEO, and the planner who first shaped her passion for the field: Jane Jacobs.

Jane Jacobs spoke truth to power, reminding us that:
✨ “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” ✨

For Tanya, this idea is foundational for Highland Planning and the communities we serve. She carries Jacobs’ legacy forward by ensuring community voices are centered and included in the planning process. Because when we plan with people, we create places and policies that truly last.

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing what inspires our team.Today, we’re featuring Heike Jacob, AIC...
03/27/2026

As a women-owned business, we’re celebrating by sharing what inspires our team.

Today, we’re featuring Heike Jacob, AICP, Senior Planner in our Buffalo office, and the words that inspire her from American journalist, feminist, and social-political activist Gloria Steinem:
"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

For Heike, this quote is a powerful reminder to stay grounded in possibility, to not take progress for granted, and to keep imagining and building a better future for the next generation.

Address

820 Clinton Avenue S, # 3
Rochester, NY
14620

Telephone

(585) 315-1834

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