HOUSTON, TX – TGC is excited to welcome Andrew Knuppel, AICP, CFM to the team! Andrew joins us in the Houston office to leverage his unique “communities and systems” approach and professional experience in land use and zoning administration, resilience and floodplain management, redevelopment planning, and community engagement. Get to know Andrew by reading the Q/A below, and learn more about TGC services, our team, and our mission to connect capital to communities.

Q: What inspired you to pursue your career?

A: I enjoyed history and geography but did better in math and science in high school. I started my undergraduate degree in engineering but quickly decided that studying urban and environmental planning, economics, and architecture was a better fit for my passions and interests because they allowed me to apply my qualitative and quantitative skills to the built and natural environment.

I think I was also raised with an appreciation for how we shape the world around us. My great-grandfather and grandfather were earthworks contractors, my dad is a land surveyor, and I grew up in areas experiencing growth, so I saw a lot of development around me. In some ways, being a planner is just one more level of abstraction: taking that historic view keeps me rooted and helps me appreciate how places evolve.

Q: What’s unique about your approach to your work, and how has it contributed to your success?

A: I describe my approach as a “communities and systems” view that recognizes both the importance of people and the complex networks that shape our communities.

My work is fundamentally about community-building: engaging residents and decision-makers in ways that create connections and enable them to make informed decisions for the places where they live and work. I also believe that community engagement should be as fun, informative, and interactive as possible! I’m proudest of efforts where my teams have reimagined our usual activities: helping design a land use and zoning tabletop game, adapting a participatory budgeting activity to a dim sum order form, and demonstration projects.

I also focus on the systems and networks that shape our cities: natural and environmental; economic and financial; political, legal, and social; etc. My experience working in land use and zoning administration, resilience and floodplain management, redevelopment planning, and community engagement helps me understand their interconnections and collaborate with a variety of different practitioners to create great places.

“I describe my approach as a ‘communities and systems’ view that recognizes both the importance of people and the complex networks that shape our communities.”

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and how has it influenced your professional journey?

A: I think I took the adage “there are no dumb questions” a step further when I started my career, because my first employer had incredible institutional knowledge, and I was able to ask ALL the questions. By interrogating our assumptions, our history, and why we do things a certain way, I’ve learned so much as a practitioner and as a consultant working with new communities. Before we get to work, we need to listen well: our communities and collaborators have long memories and deserve care and sensitivity. Today, when I mentor new planners and professionals, I encourage them to ask all the “dumb” questions.

Q: What motivated you to join TGC, and what are you most looking forward to achieving here?

A: Over the last five years, I’ve had the incredible opportunities to lead a statewide planning and resilience program as well as a team of planners working across the Gulf Coast. Looking back, my most rewarding experiences have involved building relationships and helping communities execute projects, both of which are key to TGC’s approach. Joining TGC was a fantastic opportunity to continue learning and collaborate with the team’s incredible base of subject matter expertise, strategic thinking ability, and savvy. I’m thrilled to do great planning that connects capital – and creates capacity – with our communities.

“By interrogating our assumptions, our history, and why we do things a certain way, I’ve learned so much as a practitioner and as a consultant working with new communities. Before we get to work, we need to listen well: our communities and collaborators have long memories and deserve care and sensitivity.”

For additional information or questions, contact TGC to learn more about our services, our team, and our mission to connect capital to communities across Texas and beyond.

Staff Spotlight: Andrew Knuppel