Zoning and Fashion? Amanda Burden in Vanity Fair

Focusing on her Armani outfit, her upscale background, and the beet salad she was ordering, Vanity Fair finally gets down to brass tacks with New York's Planning Director Amanda Burden.

1 minute read

May 12, 2010, 2:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Reporter John Hellpern asked, "For a layperson like myself, please explain what zoning actually means."

"It's a three-dimensional blueprint for what any area of a city can be," she [Burden] obliged. "It's about how high and wide the buildings should be, what uses they can have, the correct width of the sidewalk, the shops along it, the trees planted, whether it really feels like a neighborhood you want to walk in and bike in, maybe want to live in and invest in."

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 in Vanity Fair

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Crowds of people walking and biking along waterfront in Sunset Dunes Park in San Francisco, California on a sunny day.

San Francisco Opens Park on Former Great Highway

The Sunset Dunes park’s grand opening attracted both fans and detractors.

4 hours ago - Mission Local

Portland Oregon Bus

Oregon Legislature to Consider Transit Funding Laws

One proposal would increase the state’s payroll tax by .08% to fund transit agencies and expand service.

5 hours ago - KATU.com

Houston, Texas skyline.

Housing Vouchers as a Key Piece of Houston’s Housing Strategy

The Houston Housing Authority supports 19,000 households through the housing voucher program.

6 hours ago - Urban Edge