Wikipedia

Amanda Burden

Amanda Jay Mortimer Burden(néeMortimer;born January 18, 1944) is an American businesswoman who is a principal at Bloomberg Associates, an international consulting service founded byMichael Bloombergas a philanthropic venture to help city governments improve the quality of life of their citizens. She was the director of theNew York City Department of City Planningand chair of the City Planning Commission under Mayor Bloomberg from 2002 to 2013.

Amanda Burden
Burden in 2008
Born
Amanda Jay Mortimer

(1944-01-18)January 18, 1944(age 81)[citation needed]
New York City, U.S.
EducationSarah Lawrence College(BA)
Columbia University(MUP)
Occupation(s)Urban planner,consultant
Spouses
​
​
(m.1964;div.1972)​
​
​
(m.1979;div.1981)​
Partner(s)Charlie Rose
(1993–2006)
Children2
Parent(s)Stanley Grafton Mortimer Jr.
Babe Paley

Burden previously worked for theNew York State Urban Development Corporation.She worked onBattery Park Cityfrom 1983 to 1990. She is also a member of theInternational Best Dressed Listsince 1996.[1]

Early life and education

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Burden is the daughter of socialiteBabe Paleyand her first husband,Stanley G. Mortimer Jr.(1913–1999), an heir to theStandard Oilfortune.[2]She is a descendant of the firstchief justiceof the U.S. Supreme Court,John Jay,and a granddaughter ofDr. Harvey Cushing,the "Father of American Neurosurgery" and Pulitzer Prize winning author. She has a brother, Stanley Grafton Mortimer III; five half-siblings, William Cushing Paley, Kate Cushing Paley, Averell Mortimer, Jay Mortimer, and David Mortimer; and two step-siblings, Hilary Paley Califano and Jeffrey Paley. In 1947, her mother marriedWilliam S. Paley,the son of a successful immigrant cigar entrepreneur who built a family acquisition intoCBS.Her stepmother,Kathleen Harriman Mortimer,was a daughter of railroad heir and United States ambassadorW. Averell Harriman.

She graduated from theWestover SchoolinMiddlebury, Connecticutand attendedWellesley Collegeuntil her marriage in 1964.[3]She graduated fromSarah Lawrence Collegein 1976, with a concentration in environmental science. She later earned aMaster of Urban PlanningfromColumbia University,writing an award-winning thesis about solid-waste management.[4]

Career

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Burden worked with the architecture firm Gruzen & Partners and one of her mentors wasWilliam H. Whyte,the urbanologist, with whom she worked on hisProject for Public Spaces.[5]

From 1983 until 1990, Burden was Vice President for Planning and Design of theBattery Park City Authority.She was responsible for the development and implementation of design guidelines for the 92-acre (370,000 m2) site as well as for overseeing the design of all open spaces and parkland, including the waterfront esplanade. In an interview forNew Yorkmagazine, she cited her stepfather's influence on her design sensibilities, noting the Canadian black granite she chose for theesplanadewas the same stone he selected in 1964 for"Black Rock",the CBS headquarters.[4]Among her other New York projects are the Midtown Community Court[6]and the Red Hook Community Justice Center,[7]which provides integrated legal, economic and social services.[8]

Starting in 1990, Burden served on theNew York City Planning Commission,when she was appointed byNew York City CouncilpresidentAndrew Stein.[9]She served as Commissioner from 2002 to 2013 under Mayor Bloomberg, and since then has become a Principal atBloomberg Associates.

Burden also worked as a public school teaching aide inHarlemin the 1960s.

New York City Planning Commission

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Burden served as Chairperson of theNew York City Planning Commissionand Director of the Department of City Planning from 2002 to 2013 under MayorMichael Bloomberg.She had served on the commission since her appointment byNew York City CouncilpresidentAndrew Steinin 1990.[9]During her tenure, the department rezoned almost 40% of the city. The department helped to create theEast River Esplanade,transform theHigh Lineinto High Line Park,[10]and develop the Brooklyn Waterfront and Hudson Yards.[9]The Bloomberg administration also launched a "comprehensive waterfront plan known as Vision 2020", which would increase access to the water forkayakersandcanoeistsand address climate change. Burden said the goal of the initiative was for the water to become the "sixth borough" of the city. "The water should become a part of our everyday lives", she declared.[11]

In her term, Burden sought to combine the large transformative change ofRobert Moseswith aneighborhood-sensitive ethic inspired byJane Jacobs,writing in 2006, "Big projects are a necessary part of the diversity, competition and growth that both Jacobs and Moses fought for. But today's big projects must have a human scale; must be designed, from idea to construction, to fit into the city. Projects may fail to live up to Jane Jacob's standards, but they are still judged by her rules."[12]

During her tenure, the commission and the Bloomberg administration as a whole were widely seen to have an "overall friendliness to development". Burden herself characterized the administration as "unabashedly pro-development", and said, "What I have tried to do, and think I have done, is create value for these developers, every single day of my term."[9]The administration believed it could address issues of rising living costs in the city with new development, strategically increaseddensity,and an increase in housing supply, while attracting a wealthier tax base throughgentrification.

When asked how his administration would address the city'sincome gap,Bloomberg argued against the idea an income gap is negative, saying "They [rich people] are the ones that pay a lot of the taxes. They're the ones that spend a lot of money in the stores and restaurants and create a big chunk of our economy... If we could get every billionaire around the world to move here it would be a godsend that would create a much bigger income gap."[13][14]Describing the administration's approach to development, Burden said, "Improvement of neighborhoods — some people call it gentrification — provides more jobs, provides housing, much of it affordable, and private investment, which is tax revenue for the city."[9]

Burden also focused on managing theaestheticsof new development in a way that maintains the character of a neighborhood. "We have tried to diagnose the DNA of each neighborhood", she said. "I have spent a lot of time in the streets, talking to communities."[9]She emphasized public features like "open space, continuous shop fronts, and the inclusion of trees and other elements that foster lively street life."[5]Because of Burden's contextual zoning, which required new development to fit in with the height and style of nearby structures, some developers were forced to restrain and redesign proposals, like53W53,which was reduced by 200 feet.

TheRegional Plan Associationargued Burden's control over the aesthetics of development led to "profoundly conservative building" and a "local zeitgeist [that] has switched from big and bold to keeping everything small, nondescript and similar to everything else in the neighborhood."[9]According to Eliot Brown inThe New York Observer,"Ms. Burden is an increasingly powerful and apparently emboldened force in the Bloomberg administration—one whose often forceful views are imprinted and emblazoned on nearly every major skyscraper, mall, public plaza and large development that rises in city limits."[15]

By the end of Burden's (and Bloomberg's) term, homelessness rates had more than doubled since the year 2000. Housing prices had appreciated by 98%, and themedianrent in New York City had increased by $1,380 per year, while the median income of renterhouseholdsdecreased by $3,344. TheFurman Centerfound that "new construction primarily targets a luxury market", with "the majority of newly constructed units rented at levels well beyond the means of the average renter household in New York City."[16]Despite a focus on increased development and intent to respect the wishes and diversity of neighborhoods, the increase in housing supply, density and major zoning changes had not translated into affordable rents or homes. Burden herself acknowledged the failure to address livability when speaking in 2013 at aCityLabpanel on urban expansion:

What we haven't figured out is the question of gentrification. I have never, since I had this job, come up with a satisfactory answer of how to make sure everyone benefits... I had believed that if we kept building in that manner and increasing our housing supply... that prices would go down. We had every year almost 30,000 permits for housing, and we built a tremendous amount of housing, including affordable housing, either through incentives or through government funds. And the price of housing didn't go down at all. That's a practitioner's point of view.[17]

Honors

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Burden, then 22, was named to the Best Dressed List of the New York Couture Group in 1966, replacingJacqueline Kennedy Onassis,who had graduated to the Best Dressed List's Hall of Fame.

In 2005,Pratt Instituteawarded Ms. Burden an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration and the New York Chapter of theAmerican Institute of Architectspresented her with its 2005 Center for Architecture Award. Ms. Burden's dedication to design excellence was recognized by the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, which presented her with its 2004 Design Patron Award.[18]In 2008, Ms. Burden was inducted into the membership of theAmerican Institute of Certified Planners(AICP) College of Fellows,[19]and was named the 5th most powerful person in New York real estate byThe New York Observer.[20] In 2009, Burden received ULI's J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. This prize is the Institute's highest honor and comes with a $100,000 award. Burden announced that she will donate the J.C. Nichols prize money to ULI to create a yearly award honoring transformative and exciting public spaces around the world. In 2011, Burden received the American Architectural Foundation Keystone Award, which recognizes an individual or organization from outside the architectural discipline for exemplary leadership in design that improves lives and transforms communities. The Award recognizes Commissioner Burden's legacy as a champion of good design and her continuous efforts to use design excellence to increase quality of life in the five boroughs and promote New York City as a world-class city. Previous recipients includeRick Lowe,Charleston, South CarolinamayorJoseph P. Riley Jr.,theU.S. General Services Administration(GSA), thePritzker Family,Save America's Treasures,Museum of Modern Art (MOMA),and former Miami mayorManuel A. Diaz.

Personal life

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Burden withCharlie Rosein 2010

Burden has been married twice. Her first husband wasShirley Carter Burden Jr.(1941–1996),[21]a multimillionaire descendant ofCornelius Vanderbiltand a great-nephew of the actorDouglas Fairbanks Sr.[22]Their engagement was announced in September 1963[23]and at the time of their marriage on June 13, 1964, Carter Burden was a student atColumbia Law School.[3]An owner ofThe Village VoiceandNew Yorkmagazineand later a New York City councilman, he worked as an aide to Sen. Robert Kennedy in the 1960s, sparking his wife's interest in social justice and inspiring her to pursue a teaching career. They had two children, Flobelle Fairbanks Burden (b. 1969)[24]and Shirley Carter Burden III, before divorcing in 1972. Their son, Shirley Carter Burden III, is the founder of the managed web hosting providerLogicworks.[25]

Her second husband wasSteven J. Ross(1927–1992), the head ofWarner Communications;they married in 1979 and divorced in 1981.[26]

Burden had a relationship with journalist and talk show hostCharlie Rosefrom 1993 to about 2006.[4][27]

References

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  1. ^"The International Best-Dressed List Hall of Fame: Women".Vanity Fair.July 7, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon July 12, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  2. ^"Planning Greatness",Avenue Magazine,October 2007
  3. ^ab"Amanda Jay Mortimer Married on L.I.; '62 Debutante Bride of S. Carter Burden Jr., a Law Student".The New York Times.June 14, 1964.RetrievedOctober 12,2017.
  4. ^abcGardner, Jr, Ralph(May 13, 2002)."Social Planner".New York.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  5. ^abCardwell, Diane (January 15, 2007)."Once at Cotillions, Now Reshaping the Cityscape".The New York Times.
  6. ^Overview of Midtown Community CourtArchivedJune 9, 2008, at theWayback Machinefrom Center for Court Innovation
  7. ^Overview of Red Hook Community Justice CenterArchivedJune 8, 2008, at theWayback Machinefrom Center for Court Innovation
  8. ^Department of City Planning, City of New York
  9. ^abcdefgSatow, Julie (May 20, 2012)."Amanda Burden Wants to Remake New York. She Has 19 Months Left".The New York Times.p. MB1.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  10. ^"Amanda M. Burden".Bloomberg Associates
  11. ^Santora, Marc (November 7, 2010)."New York's Next Frontier: The Waterfront".The New York Times.p. RE1.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  12. ^Burden, Amanda (November 6, 2006)."Jane Jacobs, Robert Moses And City Planning Today".Gotham Gazette.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  13. ^"Bloomberg: Would Be 'Godsend' If More Billionaires Moved to NYC"NBC4 (New York),September 20, 2013. Accessed February 13, 2018.
  14. ^Robinson, Nathan J.(February 9, 2018)."Everything You Love Will Be Eaten Alive: The Efficient City's war on the Romantic City".Current Affairs.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  15. ^Brown, Eliot (October 14, 2009)."Proprietress of the Skyline".The New York Observer.Archived fromthe originalon October 18, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  16. ^"State of New York City's Housing & Neighborhoods 2014",NYUFurman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy
  17. ^Goodyear, Sarah (October 8, 2013)."'What We Haven't Figured Out Is the Question of Gentrification'".CityLab.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  18. ^"NYC.Gov press release".
  19. ^American Planning Association,http://www.planning.org/faicp/faicp.htmArchivedJuly 19, 2008, at theWayback Machine
  20. ^"100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate".The New York Observer.May 13, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon July 10, 2008.RetrievedJuly 10,2008.#5 on list
  21. ^Van Gelder, Lawrence (January 24, 1996)."Carter Burden, Progressive Patrician, 54, Dies".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 19,2008.In 1972, Mr. Burden and Amanda were divorced.
  22. ^"People, Jun. 26, 1972".Time.June 26, 1972.Last week Amanda, 28, filed for divorce for 'cruel and inhuman treatment.' Carter, 30, replied: 'I'm very surprised and disappointed.'
  23. ^Bachrach, Bradford (September 30, 1963)."S. Carter Burden Jr. Fiance Of Miss Amanda Mortimer".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 12,2017.
  24. ^"A Daughter Is Born To Carter Burdens".The New York Times.May 8, 1969.RetrievedOctober 12,2017.
  25. ^"Management Team - Logicworks".Archived fromthe originalon August 14, 2010.RetrievedAugust 9,2010.
  26. ^Cohen, Roger (December 21, 1992)."The Creator of Time Warner, Steven J. Ross, Is Dead at 65".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 1,2009."In 1980, Mr. Ross suffered a serious heart attack. That same year he married Amanda Burden... The marriage lasted 16 months and ended in a difficult divorce."
  27. ^"Lunch with the FT: Charlie Rose".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2022.

Further reading

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