Mitchell Silver

Mitchell is a principal with McAdams, a land planning and design company. He is responsible for providing advisory services in urban planning, parks and public space planning. He is an award-winning planner with more than 35 years of experience and is internationally recognized for his leadership and contributions to contemporary planning issues. He specializes in comprehensive planning, placemaking and implementation strategies. Known by his colleagues as a passionate communicator, creative thinker, problem-solver and visionary leader, Mitchell Silver has been at the center of many cutting-edge trends, innovative solutions and visionary plans. Prior to joining McAdams, Mitchell served as the commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; Chief Planning Officer in Raleigh, NC and served as president of the American Planning Association (APA). He is currently the immediate president of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He was the first Black American to be elected president of APA and AICP.

Mitchell is one of the nation’s most celebrated urban thinkers. He was selected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists (2017); named an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (2017); inducted as a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (2104) and the Academy of the Social Sciences (2016); made honorary fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia (2015); and made an honorary lifetime member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (2014). In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and in 2012 the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment. In 2021, William Peace University conferred him with an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humanities. In 2020, he selected by Avenue Magazine as one of five Urbanists on New York City’s Power List. In 2021, he was honored by ASLA-NY with the President’s Award for Design Excellence in the Public Realm.