Stand, formerly of Magnusson Architecture and Planning, passes

Manhattan, NY Former Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) partner Petr Stand, a visionary architect, urban planner, and lifelong advocate for community, passed away on May 31, 2026, one week after his 75^th birthday.

Born in 1951, Stand graduated from the City College of New York’s School of Architecture and Environmental Studies in 1973 — a foundation that launched a career spanning more than five decades of design, planning, and community-centered development. 

As a principal at MAP Architects (Magnusson Architecture and Planning) and later at Stand Development & Consulting, he led the design and construction of more than 1,500 affordable housing units in the Bronx’s Melrose Commons neighborhood and hundreds more across the city, a decade-long partnership rooted in his conviction that well-designed housing creates beautiful neighborhoods, and public open space transforms neighborhoods into communities. His work earned recognition from the Boston Society of Architects, the Congress for New Urbanism, and the NYC Partnership Brownfield Practitioners Award. He served as a design fellow with the Design Trust for Public Space, where his research helped shape landmark policy protecting hundreds of community gardens across N.Y.C. He was a member of the local community, working to create NYC’s first magnet school (now PS 51) and serving on the board of the neighborhood’s Community Development Corp.

In his later work with Project Abigail, Stand turned his expertise toward fighting gentrification and preserving spaces where communities could define themselves on their own terms. He joined the NYC Community Land Trust Learning Exchange to shape land trust policy for the city. Alongside GLITS and its founder Ceyenne Doroshow, he worked to develop community-centered plans for Jacob Riis Beach — a historic safe haven for New York’s LGBTQ+ community — advocating for wellness, dignity, and self-determination for those most vulnerable to displacement. 

Stand is survived by his wife, Susan Blaine Walker; his sons Jeremy Stand (Tara) of the Bronx, NY, and Blaine Stand (Jennifer Fiocca) of Toronto, ON; his grandchildren Cassandra, Osiris, and Ezra Stand, and Callum Stand; and his brother Kurt Stand. He was preceded in death by his parents, Holly and Mille Stand.