Congratulations to Mitch Silver, MUP alum and former APA president, on his recent appointment to NYC Parks Commissioner! Silver, a Brooklyn native, was most recently the Chief Planning & Development Officer and Planning Director for the City of Raleigh, North Carolina. Previously, in NYC, Silver served as planning and policy specialist for the Manhattan Borough President’s office, and as a city planner. Silver played a central role as an expert consultant in the formulation of the “Harlem-on-the-River” 197-A plan, which materialized into the plan for Harlem Piers Park, redesigning a site originally pegged for a hotel development and turning it into a $20 million park.
Silver has written and spoken extensively about the need to integrate city planning and public health policy, the expansion of green spaces and recreational facilities, and the implementation of educational campaigns promoting walking and other outdoor activities. He was President of the American Planning Association, has been named one of the Top 100 City Innovators in the World by UBM Future Cities, and was named one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment by Urban Times.