Kathy
Del Beccaro
Urban planner, mixed-methods researcher, and consultant based in Brooklyn.
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I plan and guide projects that preserve and strengthen small business economies and cultural ecosystems.
I have led over two dozen consulting projects for public, non-profit, and philanthropic clients that combine place-based research and strategy development for new community hubs, philanthropic investments, and programmatic initiatives. My projects usually occur at the ecosystem-level and consider the collective needs, challenges, and power of many small players and stakeholders involved in a place, sector, or common struggle.
Performed with and for thought leaders, my research has revealed field-building insights related to the dynamics of small business sectors, the mindset and behavior of small business owners, and economic mobility among low-wage workers.
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In 2023, while I was consulting for Rockaway Film Festival to identify a new cinema space and build organizational capacity, we came across an opportunity to develop a multi-sector community hub built around cinema. In 2024 until 2026, I left my urban planning practice to serve as RFF’s first full-time Managing Director, develop that project, and scale the organization’s operations to match its future scope. This first-hand experience in non-profit leadership and community anchor development has shaped my hands-on, flexible approach with clients pursuing similar projects.
I have given guest lectures at the Yale School of Management Inclusive Economic Development Lab and the Flatbush Central Small Business Academy. In 2025, I served on a funding panel for the NYC DCLA Cultural Development Fund.
The keystone of all my work is the small business economy. By small business, I mean independently owned and governed small enterprises, non-profits, coalitions, collectives, and cooperatives, including freelancers, artists, and informal groups. Independent small businesses continue to shape* the U.S. economy and workforce across industries. They show up in brick-and-mortar locations, transient and mobile spaces, and on the internet, where preserving places for small players to freely conduct business is as challenging and crucial as it is in our real estate markets.
My belief in better models for economies, cities, and communities all stem from my supreme faith in small players. Small businesses and their workers bring value to my life every day, and I’m dedicated to doing what I can to help them preserve autonomy while building collective power.
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*In the United States, 99.9% of businesses are small (employing less than 200 people). Those small businesses employ 46% of the American workforce and make up 44% of GDP. My research has proven that small business owners have a distinct mindset and set of priorities and behaviors as employers, and are much more likely to adopt employer practices that lead to job quality and economic mobility for low-wage workers.