About
Ben Schulman makes cities make sense. For fifteen years he has worked where capital, communications, and culture converge — helping cities, institutions, and communities write the next chapter.
As Vice President of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, he turned institutional intent into neighborhood investment, deploying a $1M revolving loan fund, partnering on a $30M debt fund, and catalyzing over $500 million in district development.
As a founding team member of Small Change, one of the first SEC-regulated real estate equity crowdfunding platforms, he helped build the tools to democratize real estate investment at the neighborhood level.
As Director of Civic Strategies at a5 Branding & Digital, he directed brand, communications, and economic development strategies to position municipalities and civic institutions for growth.
He is currently the Vice President, Advisory Services & Strategic Initiatives for The Chicago TREND Corporation, where he works with a team rewriting the rules of community and real estate development, turning disinvested commercial corridors into community-owned assets and building a toolkit of financial, placemaking, and development models for cities and communities everywhere.
He is a writer, editor, and broadcaster. His work on architecture, urban policy, history, and the systems of cities has appeared in ARCHITECT, CityLab, Belt, Metropolis, and others. He created TEL, excavating Jewish histories embedded in cityscapes.
A Next City Vanguard and Good Work Institute Fellow, he serves on the boards of Equiticity, Community LIFT, and is the President of the Progress & Poverty Institute.
Ben also co-founded Good Form, a studio curating, programming, and developing civic projects.
Ready to make your city, institution, or community sing? Let’s talk.