GSD Alumni and Friends
New York City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden announced that Edith Hsu-Chen has been appointed Director of City Planning’s Manhattan Office. Hsu-Chen, Deputy Director of the Manhattan office since 2003, has advanced a vast array of public and private land use, zoning, urban design, and development projects throughout the borough. These include major office developments such as the Bear Stearns/JP Morgan and the Bank of America headquarters, both in midtown, cultural projects, including the MoMA expansion and the recent Whitney Museum proposal for the West Village, and significant residential developments, including the Portzamparc-designed project on Park Avenue South. She currently oversees a number of Department initiatives in Manhattan, including the 111-block rezoning for the East Village-Lower East Side, and the implementation of the Hudson Yards project.
“It’s an exciting time to be planning the future of Manhattan.” Said Hsu-Chen. “We have a City Planning Commissioner who has the energy, thoroughness, and desire to plan comprehensively and proactively while balancing community desires and the big-picture needs for our growing city. I am thrilled and honored to continue the work of fulfilling important economic development goals as well as keeping New York livable and beautiful. I am indebted to the Harvard Graduate School of Design for instilling in me the importance of planning at all scales- from the sidewalk to the skyline.”
Commissioner Burden gave high marks to Hsu-Chen for her future responsibilitiesand past accomplishments.
“Edith Hsu-Chen is uniquely qualified to ensure the success of the Bloomberg administration’s goals for economic development, new and affordable housing, and neighborhood preservation in Manhattan,” said Commissioner Burden said. Ms. Hsu-Chen’s record of accomplishment, knowledge of the borough, sensitivity to the attributes of its unique neighborhoods, mastery of planning and zoning tools and enthusiasm for great architecture and urban design will be valuable assets as she shepherds City Planning’s review of numerous major projects on the horizon. She inspires confidence and trust as she engages the public, elected officials as well as the development community in building consensus for the future of our neighborhoods.”
As Director of the Manhattan office, Hsu-Chen will be responsible for guiding housing and economic development and fostering the orderly growth of the borough's neighborhoods, business districts and major institutions.