Alex Feldman
Managing Director, Philadelphia Office
Alex is committed to developing innovative solutions for connecting anchor institutions and their surrounding communities. With more than a decade working at U3 Advisors, he has been most proud of creating lasting partnerships based on common ground that unites all stakeholders. As one of U3’s lead strategist, he has played a major role in the anchor-driven transformations of communities in Midtown Detroit and in the Memphis Medical District (MMDC), where he worked with the leadership of eight major institutions to stand up a new non-profit organization and increase the economic and physical vitality of the district through anchor driven programs. These efforts, including a Live, Buy, Hire Local strategy have yielded more than $300 million in place-based, economic and community development impact in the Medical District since 2016. In 2021, Alex served as the Interim President of MMDC during a leadership transition for the organization.
Experienced in structuring public private partnerships, Alex has supported the University of Maryland College Park as a campus development advisor to the Terrapin Development Corporation (TDC) which is leading the transformation of College Park into a leading college town. Working with the TDC team, Alex has managed more than $300 million worth of real estate development transactions, including a mixed-use apartment and retail complex as well as an innovation district that will feature 500,000 square feet of office and research space and 250 units of housing.
Outside of the United States, Alex has led several of the firm’s international engagements, including projects in Oman, Egypt, and Lebanon where he has found creative ways to apply lessons from the anchor strategy model to different global contexts. He led the visioning for a new bi-national university campus on the U.S./Mexico border in Chula Vista, California, and has been a featured speaker on the role of anchor institutions at universities including the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, the Clinton School for Public Service, the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.
His work at U3 is enriched by Alex’s training in architecture and urban design. He joined U3 in 2009 from the architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, where he worked on master planning projects around the world, and Alex continues to be active in the design community as a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Congress for New Urbanism. An avid traveler with a passion for the performing arts, Alex’s interests outside the office introduced him to new perspectives on development challenges and often inspire creative problem solving.
Alex has a BA and Masters in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned a certificate in Real Estate Development. Additionally, Alex earned a MS in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, and has been recognized as a Next City Vanguard, and by Leadership Philadelphia as a Connector and Keeper. He currently serves on the Board for the Philadelphia Center for Architecture and the Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation.