Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, Hon. ASLA

Commissioner
New York City Parks

Mitchell J. Silver became Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks in May 2014. Commissioner Silver is also president of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and past president of the American Planning Association (APA). Commissioner Silver has been honored as an award-winning planner with over 35 years of experience. He has been internationally recognized for his leadership in the planning profession and his contributions to contemporary planning issues. As Parks Commissioner, he has overseen management, planning, and operations of nearly 30,000 acres of parkland, which includes parks, playgrounds, beaches, marinas, recreation centers, natural areas and other assets.

Prior to returning to his native New York City as Parks Commissioner, he served as the Chief Planning & Development Officer and Planning Director for Raleigh, NC. His career has included roles as a policy and planning director for New York City’s Department of Planning, a principal of a New York City-based planning firm, a town manager in New Jersey, and deputy planning director in Washington, DC.

One of the nation’s most celebrated urban thinkers, Commissioner Silver has been elected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in the world (2017), and named an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (2017), a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences (2016), an honorary fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia (2015), a fellow of the American Planning Association (2014), and 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.