Ian Carlton, PhD is an urban development expert focused on building healthy, sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant places, particularly transit-oriented development (TOD). Leveraging his multidisciplinary background, including experience investing in station area properties, Ian has investigated transit planning and TOD implementation for nearly two decades and worked with numerous clients to produce and implement strategies that yield world class transit projects and transit-supportive real estate investments.
Ian is a project director at ECONorthwest where he oversees the customization of MapCraft's web applications for clients. Ian co-founded MapCraft, an urban data science firm producing map-based web applications that help generate real estate insights.
Ian is a project director at ECONorthwest where he oversees the customization of MapCraft's web applications for clients. Ian co-founded MapCraft, an urban data science firm producing map-based web applications that help generate real estate insights.
ConsultingIan has helped clients develop practical, context-specific strategies that unlock the potential of transit-served places, including advising clients on transit value capture, economic development, and land use policies. Ian's work is grounded in up-to-date global transportation and land use research while being sensitive to local politics and markets.
With a focus on helping clients frame and successfully implement TOD, Ian's consulting engagements have included site-, station area-, and corridor-level real estate financial feasibility assessments. With MapCraft.io, Ian has also conducted parcel-level regional TOD assessments, accounting for real estate feasibility across millions of parcels.
To aid implementation, Ian has trained elected officials, government staff, local stakeholders, real estate investors, and future planning professionals on all aspects of urban development, particularly equitable TOD. Ian has worked as an independent consultant, as a business strategy consultant with Bain, and now hangs his hat at ECONorthwest. Contact Ian if you are interested in advisory services or teaming on a project. |
We brought Ian on board at a critical time for transportation and land-use coordination at the City of Los Angeles. His ability to quickly get up to speed and calmly work with a large, multi-disciplinary team helped produce a cross-cutting strategic TOD vision. Ian's professionalism helped our Transit Corridors Cabinet navigate difficult issues, and the consulting team he assembled was ideal for the task. The results of the project inform our departments' work to this day." - Nat Gale, Former Program Director, Mayor's Office of Transportation, City of Los Angeles |
TEchnology
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MapCraft.io endeavors to provide planners, policymakers, real estate professionals, and others with state of the art tools that allow them to make better decisions.
Ian co-founded MapCraft.io with Fletcher Foti to develop web applications that help answer complicated urban development questions. Ian's research and consulting experiences have highlighted opportunities to make TOD planning more effective and to make complex urban development more approachable, which you'll see reflected throughout the MapCraft toolkit. MapCraft's tools have been used across the United States. Learn more at MapCraft.io. |
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Research
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Ian's quantitative and qualitative studies have considered transportation and land use interactions, particularly the influence of transit service provision on real estate development. Specific research topics have included TOD finance, transit policy, value capture, TOD feasibility, transit planning norms, and TOD project failure amongst others.
Ian frequently teams with others to produce the best results. Ian has handpicked research teams and has joined existing teams. Whatever the situation, Ian appreciates working with research sponsors and co-investigators that value social and economic diversity.
Contact Ian if you are interested in sponsoring or collaborating on a research project. |
Ian has been a trusted collaborator on many TOD studies and consultations. His mixed-methods capacities and familiarity with finance, real estate, and transportation make him a valuable investigator on interdisciplinary projects. With excellent leadership and communication skills, he is well suited to the PI and project manager roles." - Robert Cervero, Professor Emeritus, University of California Berkeley |
Training & speaking
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Whether teaching 20 masters students or providing a keynote address to 500 urban planners, Ian explores the topics of real estate development, equitable planning, and transit investment with a variety of audiences.
Ian has been an invited speaker at events and conferences, including national policy convenings, local government workshops, Urban Land Institute National Meetings, annual Rail~Volution conferences, Transportation Research Board Annual Meetings, American Planning Association conferences, and others. Ian is a huge fan of Ira Flatow, so it was unfortunate that Ira was sick the Friday that Ian discussed transit and development on Science Friday. Ian is an instructor for core planning and ethics coursework in the Master of Real Estate Development program at Portland State University and introductory real estate development coursework in the Masters of Architecture program at the University of Oregon's Portland campus. |
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