by: Jacqueline Pezzillo Assoc. AIA LEED AP
Event: Shaping the City: A Strategic Blueprint for New York City’s Future
Location: Center for Architecture, 05.26.09
Speakers: Amanda Burden, FAICP, Hon. AIA — Commissioner, NYC Department of City Planning (DCP)
Organizer: AIANY Public Architecture Committee
Courtesy AIANY
Because of the recent economic downturn, we couldn’t be in a more exciting time for planning, says Amanda Burden, FAICP, Hon. AIA, commissioner of the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP). NYC’s future, in terms of master plans, neighborhood character, outdoor spaces, streetscapes, and general environmental quality of life are in the hands of Burden and her department. So what exactly are they up to?
Efforts range from widely publicized projects such as the rescue and restoration of Coney Island as a year-round destination, to smaller low-key projects like increasing the availability of neighborhood grocery stores through developer incentives. Burden’s esteem for street life and open spaces — inspired by her mentor, urbanist William “Holly” Whyte — resonates in her administration’s ventures. Vitality and sociability are enhanced by sidewalk cafés (legalized under Burden’s reign), privately owned public spaces, and re-zoning in all five boroughs to improve people’s lives. Burden espouses offering New Yorkers a variety of housing options and retail opportunities, waterfront access, cultural and entertainment destinations, and neighborhoods that are characterized by specific features to diminish anonymity in our city. Growth opportunities are anticipated by the subways, says Burden, and grow we must.
Termed by the commissioner, a “city of neighborhoods,” NYC has proven to be a global city of opportunity comparable to Shanghai or Tokyo, as opposed to Chicago or San Francisco. As our city’s population propagates, DCP is responding with initiatives that enhance the public realm, introduce innovative architecture, improve access to public transportation, and promote sustainable growth. And, according to Burden, a true New Yorker, “New York should demand nothing less.”
Jacqueline Pezzillo, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, is the communications manager at Davis Brody Bond Aedas and a regular contributor to e-Oculus.