Home » News & Events » Past Speakers » Amanda M. Burden

Amanda M. Burden

Director
New York City Department of City Planning

Amanda M. Burden, an urban planner and civic activist, received a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University in l992. She is Chair of the New York City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning. She has been a member of the Commission since l990. From l983 until l990, Ms. Burden was responsible for the planning and design of the 92 acre Battery Park City project in Lower Manhattan. As Vice President for Planning and Design of the Battery Park City Authority, she directed the development of design guidelines for all buildings on the site and oversaw the design of all open spaces, including the Esplanade and the 30 acres of parkland. In l987, Ms. Burden received the Sidney Strauss Award from the New York Society of Architects "for outstanding achievement for the benefit of the architectural profession". In l988, she received an Honorary Membership to the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter. Ms. Burden has always been an active participant in the City's cultural community. She previously served as Chair of the Board of Creative Time, Inc. a nonprofit arts organization which presents public art and performances in public sites throughout New York City, and was a Member of the Board of the Center for Arts Education. She currently serves as a Trustee of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. Ms. Burden has been involved for many years in civic groups dedicated to improving the quality of life in the City. She previously served as a Member of the Board of the Nature Conservancy, of the Architectural League and of the Fund for the City of New York. Amanda Burden has also played an important role in initiating improvements in the criminal justice system. In l992, she helped launch the Midtown Community Court, an innovative problem?solving court, established to address low?level crime and its causes in the Times Square area and adjacent precincts. The Court has been replicated nationwide. Until 2000, Ms. Burden was the Director of Planning for the Center for Court Innovation. Ms. Burden served on the boards of the Correctional Association of New York and the Osborne Association, two organizations dedicated to improving conditions of confinement and providing services to prisoners, ex?offenders and their families. She has two children and lives in Manhattan.

The information listed above was provided at the time of the speaker's visit and may no longer be current.