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Thought Leadership
After 30 Years, I Believe We Need a Better Way to Build Great Places
By Rob Hunden
Over the past three decades, I've had the privilege of working alongside communities as they make some of the most important investment and development decisions they'll ever face. I've worked with leaders who had the courage to pursue bold ideas and have seen the lasting impact that those decisions can have on residents, businesses, and visitors for generations. Entire downtowns, campuses and communities have been transformed around the world by game-changing real estate and destination development projects. With more than one thousand projects, studies and processes completed over the past 30 years, experience becomes wisdom, then ideally, innovation to improve outcomes.
First, a reality check: most ideas never see the light of day. Or if they do, they don’t get past the master plan, the feasibility study, or the financing effort. For many, it’s the appropriate conclusion to the filtering process. Some ideas are simply not well-conceived or won’t survive the marketplace. Saving a leader or community from a bad investment is just as important as executing a good one.
For many others, excellent, well-conceived projects die prematurely due to lack of know-how, leadership, experience, expertise, timing tied to elected or leadership support, and frankly, unfortunate decisions.
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Choose Chicago wants a strategic plan to provide road map for spending hotel tax windfall
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Podcast & Videos
Hunden Happy Hour Podcast
From Grand Park to a Grand Place: Westfield's Next Chapter | Hunden Happy Hour #10
In this episode of Hunden Happy Hour, Rob Hunden, President & CEO of Hunden Partners, and Steve Haemmerle, Executive Vice President of Development Advisory Services, welcome Jenell Fairman, Executive Chief of Economic and Community Development for the City of Westfield, Indiana, to discuss how the fast-growing community is shaping its next chapter. From leveraging the success of Grand Park to creating a walkable mixed-use district, investing in downtown, and advancing new sports, entertainment, and community amenities, the conversation explores how Westfield is turning vision into reality. Jenell shares how thoughtful placemaking, public-private partnerships, and strategic investment are helping the city manage growth while creating a more connected and vibrant place for residents and visitors. And we highlight the Westfield Creative Collective, a local nonprofit supporting creative entrepreneurs and creating opportunities for artists and makers to work, connect, and bring their products to the community. Filmed March 18, 2026.
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