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

Young Professional

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 and Environmental 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 and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A rendering of the planned bridge over a large river. The bridge has two main support beams that form diamond shaped arches over the bridge.

Alabama scores up to $2.5 billion federal loan for largest infrastructure project in state’s history

The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project aims to ease congestion at Alabama’s worst bottleneck.

September 20 - NBC 15

Public land in Idaho. Most of the photo is a green field, with mountains and a forest in the distance.

Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea

If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.

September 20 - The Washington Sun

Two construction workers on a wind turbine, with two more in the background against a pink sky.

Despite court ruling, Trump is keeping nearly all wind projects in the US on hold

At least 110 wind energy projects have not heard from the government since a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's freeze on wind turbine clearances was likely illegal.

September 20 - Heatmap