People Behind the Plans: Mitchell Silver, FAICP

Mitchell Silver, FAICP, thinks parks are more than just islands
of green spaces — much, much more. As Commissioner of the New
York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Mitch makes it his
mission to understand how people use these critical urban spaces,
and he aims to ensure that children, adults, seniors, and
everyone in between have access to a quality 21st-century park
system.


Courtney caught up with Mitch during the 2018 National Planning
Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the two discussed not
only how he was shaped by a childhood spent blocks away from
Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, but also how seriously he takes public
engagement when working with residents on park projects. He
touches on some of the initiatives under way in his department
and highlights a few of the less well-known examples of park
success stories in New York City, including St. Mary's Park in
the Bronx and Highbridge Park, home to the city’s oldest standing
bridge. Mitch reflects on his time in Raleigh, North Carolina,
where he served as Chief Planning & Development Officer and
Planning Director and sought to encourage growth in a community
once hesitant to change. He also shares his views on equity,
which he defines simply as fairness, in a bid to eliminate the
jargon planners can sometimes employ when discussing the subject.