DONJEK WORK
Urban redevelopment projects have multiple layers relating to market, access, landscape ecology and storm water management, and public engagement and process. Bringing together the focused capacity to assemble partners, establish a shared strategy, and move forward is essential. Donjek guides clients toward their objective of prosperous urban places in a variety of ways:
Clients make decisions with the benefit of strategic and policy advice from Donjek, which incorporates the full range of factors that can push places forward. Physical access and architecture are the most visible of these factors, but they represent the tip of an iceberg that includes history, politics, public/private sector interaction, and demographics.
Donjek supports the competitive advantage of clients, through innovative analysis of city environments. Much is in motion: Shifting public and private roles, changing nature of public engagement, evolving transportation and land use practices, emerging consumer preferences, environmental stress. Our analyses clarify economic, demographic and funding realities emerging from the multiple factors that influence urban prosperity.
Public and project finance has never been more important or more challenging. Private enterprise and public stakeholders rely on effective ability to sustain public infrastructure. Donjek delivers research and quantitative analysis to give public and private sector clients information they can use to make long-term decisions about the future of their places.
DONJEK CLIENTS:
WHAT DONJEK CLIENTS SAY:
Jon gets public finance and he gets the real estate market. When I need to bridge that gap, he's the one I call.
Becky Landon, Founder, The Landon Group
Jon’s steady hand and depth of knowledge has helped place our region on the national map for collaboration and region-scale growth strategies.
Caren Dewar, former Executive Director, Urban Land Institute Minnesota
Thanks to his background, Jon really understands the perspective of both private and public sectors. He’s uniquely qualified to help sort through the myriad issues that face redevelopment projects and their financing. Jon can see how to move forward.
Tanya L. Bell, NTH
Development poses unique challenges that require an understanding of different financial, governmental, and community interests. Jon’s atypical background and experience helps clients perceive the relationships among these interests; he can also help identify strategies to move things forward.
Mike Zipko, Co-Founder and Principal, Velocity Public Affairs
With his experience in business and government finance, Jon offers not only a broad base of knowledge and analytical capabilities, but also the ability to communicate his findings and observations clearly and effectively.
Tony Carideo, President, Carideo Group
I’m thankful for Jon’s help and advice along the long process that led to this development. His wisdom and experience were invaluable to guide us in that complicated journey.
Dr. Bianca Fine, President, Fine Associates
About Donjek
Donjek’s principal Jon Commers translates public finance and economics, planning and urban design concepts, and perception of cultural and political dynamics into effective project management and redevelopment strategy.
Jon’s background includes 25+ years of work in redevelopment and related policy fields. He’s served as a developer and worked in the capital markets in addition to consulting for private, public and nonprofit sector clients on urban projects with Donjek. In addition, Jon is managing principal of Visible City, a firm helping clients to access and interpret big data for decision making in cities. Since 2014, Jon has served as an adjunct instructor in the Urban Studies program at the University of Minnesota. He is an active member of the LAI land economics society.
Previously, between 2011-19, Jon served two terms representing Saint Paul on the Metropolitan Council, where he served in leadership roles and was active on a range of transportation, land use, housing and related issues. Jon has been involved as a leader with nonprofit organizations, including as co-founder of land use advocacy organization Strong Towns.