Zack LeMel is an urban planner and designer focused on addressing complex urban challenges through context-sensitive, community-driven solutions. He currently serves as the head of Long Range Planning for the City of Newton, Massachusetts leading comprehensive land use reform. His work reframes zoning—a tool historically associated with exclusion—as a driver of inclusion and sustainable growth. Across all scales, Zack is committed to inclusive processes that elevate diverse community voices. In 2022, his team partnered with the Stanford Crowdsourced Democracy Team to develop innovative outreach tools for Newton’s MBTA Communities zoning initiative. These and other engagement strategies were highlighted by The Boston Foundation’s Housing Equity Report as best practices for improving racial equity.
Beyond policy, Zack recently engaged a cross-departmental team in transforming a part of a public parking lot into a pilot urban plaza serving Newton’s largest village center. He views this and similar placemaking interventions as key drivers for long-term public and private investment.
Previously, Zack worked at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where he helped manage the creation of Resilient Edgemere, a community-driven neighborhood resiliency plan following the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Always with an interest towards implementation, the plan has since catalyzed the creation of a community land trust, affordable housing projects, and a nature preserve.
Prior to teaching at the GSD, Zack co-taught Community Practice at the Boston Architectural College, a course that explores contemporary design practices and examines the role of designers with(in) community, as well as the potential of design thinking as a tool for social change. Zack holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.