- Comprehensive Master Plan
- Design Standards Guide
- Zoning Modernization
- Hazard Mitigation Strategy
The Nexus engine
Diagnose markets. Plan with institutional rigor. Connect strategy to capital.
MasterPlan Nexus is an AI-native real estate, development, and urban economics advisory firm. The Nexus engine — Urban Health Index, Urban MRI™, Housing Supply Gap Index, and City Intelligence Dashboard — diagnoses markets in 2–6 weeks. Principals then plan and underwrite with institutional rigor, and connect strategy to capital — for the cities that shape places and the investors who build in them.
nexus://urban-mri/columbus-oh
72 / 100 UHI
Urban MRI™ · Columbus, OH
Four-pillar scorecard
- Economic Competitiveness82
- Housing System Performance62
- Land Use Efficiency70
- Transportation Productivity68
The Nexus engine
Named capabilities. Real output. Weeks, not years.
“AI-native” is the method, not the marketing. The engine is four named products with published methodology, sample diagnostics, and a documented turnaround: a four-pillar Urban MRI in 2–6 weeks — versus 12–24 months for a traditional comprehensive diagnostic.
2–6 weeks
Urban MRI delivery
versus 12–24 months traditional
The number the engine actually buys: a standardized four-pillar city diagnostic in 2–6 weeks, not a 12–24 month comprehensive study.
Named capability
Urban Health Index
A continuously updated composite across Economic Competitiveness (30%), Housing System Performance (30%), Land Use Efficiency (20%), and Mobility Productivity (20%).
Formula published. Peer-benchmarked scorecards for 100+ cities.
Named capability
Urban MRI™ Diagnostic
A 25–40 page, four-pillar diagnostic that tells council why housing is expensive, traffic is worsening, or downtown is underperforming — and what to fund first.
2–6 week delivery. Sample output shown here from Columbus, Ohio.
Named capability
Housing Supply Gap Index
Permits versus demand, price-to-income, and production elasticity — the housing pillar isolated so a planning director can see the unit gap, not just a composite.
Used for site screening, housing strategy, and grant-ready production targets.
Named capability
City Intelligence Dashboard
Live Urban Health Index tracking, peer alerts, and an annual MRI refresh so the diagnostic does not expire the month it is adopted.
Subscription monitoring after the diagnostic, not a static PDF on a shelf.
Actual engine output
nexus://urban-mri/columbus-oh
72 / 100 UHI
Urban MRI™ · Columbus, OH
Four-pillar scorecard
- Economic Competitiveness82
- Housing System Performance62
- Land Use Efficiency70
- Transportation Productivity68
The firm
The firm that master-plans the district is the firm that underwrites the deal inside it.
A small, senior-led firm backed by a network of leading academics and private-sector practitioners. Every engagement is directed by principals who have led planning, development, and investment at the highest institutional level — with named experts assembled for the assignment.
- $130B
- Global platform led
- Research and investment strategy
- $5B+
- Asian development portfolio
- 56% combined IRR
- $3B
- Public redevelopment
- Downtown mixed-use program
- 11
- Private practice areas
- Plus seven public-sector groups
Institutional affiliations
- Counselors of Real Estate
- Urban Land Institute
- Homer Hoyt Foundation
- PREA
- NCREIF
- MIT
- London School of Economics
- Cornell
- UC Berkeley
Independence & conflicts
Two lanes. Ethical walls. No principal equity in districts we plan for public clients.
That we can master-plan a district and underwrite a deal inside one is a private-side advantage. For a city attorney, it is a conflict question. We answer it in writing, before scoping.
Ethical walls
Public planning assignments and private capital work in the same geography are staffed, filed, and reviewed separately. Work product does not cross the wall without written client consent.
No principal equity
Principals of MasterPlan Nexus do not take equity in districts, sites, or special districts we plan for public clients. We advise; we do not become the sponsor.
CRE Code of Ethics
Real estate counseling is governed by the Counselors of Real Estate Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Practice, including disclosure of conflicts and independence of advice.
AICP Code of Ethics
Planning work led or reviewed by AICP-credentialed practitioners follows the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Where a conflict cannot be mitigated, we decline the assignment.
City attorneys: we will provide our conflicts protocol with the proposal. If a potential conflict exists, we disclose it in writing before scoping.
Catalog of services
Two lanes. One engine.
Public-sector planning and private-sector real estate advisory share the same data, the same principals, and the same standard of evidence.
Public sector
Seven practice areas for cities, counties, and agencies
Private sector
Eleven practice areas for investors, developers, and lenders
Sectors
Asset classes we underwrite and plan
Each sector draws from the relevant practice areas — from multifamily feasibility to campus master planning and data-center siting.
- Multifamily
- Medical outpatient and healthcare
- Industrial and logistics
- Retail
- Office and conversions
- Hospitality
- Seniors housing
- Data centers
- Mixed-use
- Master-planned communities
- Land and land development
- Institutional campuses (university, hospital, corporate)
Client type
Who we serve
Named explicitly so a planning director and an acquisitions lead both recognize themselves on the page.
Public sector
Cities and towns
Municipal governments seeking plans, entitlements, and capital programs they can adopt.
Counties and regional bodies
County and regional agencies coordinating housing, mobility, and economic strategy across jurisdictions.
Agencies and authorities
Transit, housing, redevelopment, and special districts that need fundable project pipelines.
NGOs and civic organizations
Community development organizations, foundations, and civic groups advancing place-based work.
Private sector
- Developers
- Private equity real estate funds
- REITs
- Family offices
- Pension funds and endowments
- Sovereign wealth and cross-border capital
- Banks and debt funds
- Insurers
- Title companies
- Corporate occupiers
- Law firms
- Landowners
- Universities, hospitals, and institutional landholders
Engagement library
Representative work, named by deliverable and scale
Never the client. Never the employer. Always the number.
Master planning, development & urban design
Downtown Mixed-Use Redevelopment Program
Major Northeast City, $3B public portfolio
Full-cycle planning through delivery: planning, zoning, feasibility, design, infrastructure, community relations, and final approvals across mixed-use, residential, and infrastructure projects.
National Retail Development Program
Fortune 20 Retailer
Three to five concurrent projects at $50–70M each; 100% delivered on time and under budget across five states.
Class A Multifamily Development Pipeline
West Coast Gateway Market
Development and investment management across acquisitions, deal structuring, financing, entitlements, construction, and lease-up; pipeline scaled to $450M+.
Pan-Asian Mixed-Use Development & Portfolio Program
Six Countries
Class A office, high-density residential, retail, industrial, and hospitality development and asset management; portfolio grown past $5B at a combined 56% IRR.
Market, feasibility & site studies
Infill Submarket Development Feasibility & Market Study
West Coast State Capital Region
Southeast Coastal Metro Market & Demand Study
Coastal metro
Sector Opportunity Studies
Multifamily, Retail, Hospitality, and Seniors Housing
Series of national demand and positioning studies used to direct institutional capital allocation.
National Market and Submarket Forecast Program
Eight property sectors
Recurring forecast and recommendation cycle covering eight property sectors.
Due diligence & underwriting
Fund-Level Acquisition Due Diligence
Institutional Core Fund
Environmental Due Diligence Protocol Design
National Acquisition Platform
Authored the standing environmental diligence procedures manual used across a national acquisition program.
Underwriting System Design & Standardized Underwriting Model
National Lending Platform
Functional specification and workbook standardizing underwriting across a multi-billion-dollar portfolio.
Source-to-Exit Lending Platform
$15B Commercial Loan Portfolio
Co-founded and designed an end-to-end origination, diligence, processing, closing, and portfolio management platform for a global financial institution's commercial real estate business. Recognized in BusinessWeek's "Websmart 50."
Portfolio & investment strategy
Research & Investment Strategy Function
$130B Global Platform
Built and led the macro and micro research function guiding investment decisions across six funds, four REITs, fifteen separate accounts, eight sectors, and ten countries.
Global Strategy & Research Function
$35B Global Portfolio, 40 Cities
Created the firm-wide research and strategy platform and initiated multi-billion-dollar programs across Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
National Investment Platform Leadership
$12.4B Multi-Fund Portfolio
Led acquisitions, portfolio management, underwriting, research, and credit across five public and private funds; 44% stock price appreciation and 53% total investment return; platform became the largest commercial real estate acquirer in the United States.
Monthly and Quarterly Portfolio Strategy Program
Multi-Fund Institutional Platform
Value-Add Investment Program Design & Capability Build
Institutional platform
Public REIT Analysis & Relative Value Screening Model
Public REIT universe
Market Timing & Optimal Allocation Research
Multi-sector allocation
Cross-border & market entry
Emerging Market Entry Strategy
South American Gateway Markets
U.S. Market Entry Strategy for Cross-Border Institutional Capital
United States
European Institutional Investor U.S. Allocation Strategy
U.S. allocation
Global Fund Series Strategy Architecture
Global fund series
Sovereign Privatization & Project Finance Advisory
Four National Governments
World Bank engagements covering privatization and project finance initiatives.
Sector platform
National Medical Outpatient Investment Platform
$250M+ AUM
Founded and led a healthcare real estate investment platform; built a billion-dollar national pipeline; majority interest sold to a leading global asset manager.
Public-sector work
Urban MRI
Columbus, Ohio
Catalyze Des Moines
Washington
Riverfront Revitalization Framework
Millbrook
University-Area Reuse Study
University district
Representative engagements reflect work led by our principals prior to and outside MasterPlan Nexus. Client and platform names are withheld under confidentiality. Scope, scale, and methodology are described as executed.
The team
Domain expertise meets institutional execution.
Principals direct every engagement. Leading academics and private-sector experts are assembled as the main consultants for the assignment.
Real estate operator and investment leader with institutional experience across private equity, capital markets, and development. Has directed a $130B global investment platform, a $35B portfolio across 40 cities, and a $3B public redevelopment program.
Engineering leader with approximately $4 billion of highway and rail program delivery and more than 100 multi-agency permits secured. Leads the Nexus engine — data engineering, geospatial analytics, the Urban Health Index, Urban MRI diagnostics, and the Mobility & Infrastructure practice.
Contact
Request a scope and fee
Monterey office, direct line, and hello@masterplannexus.com. Cities and agencies, request a proposal. Investors, developers, and lenders, talk to an advisor. We respond within 2 business days.
Ready to diagnose a market or underwrite a site?
Tell us the asset, the geography, and the decision you need to make.