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.