2024-05-04T01:40:45-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150287326/nyc-s-new-planning-director-anita-laremont-on-the-importance-of-the-public-realm Alexander Walter 2021-11-04T15:08:00-04:00 >2021-11-05T11:16:07-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/4a/4a4e071398ba071da460405a360c9aa5.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>COVID-19 also showed us the divide that we have in the city. There are BIPOC communities and communities with lower incomes that have very poor-quality public realms that we need to focus on more closely. People who live in the South Bronx need to have the same kind of opportunities to be outdoors and in quality settings in ways that they didn't before.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Anita Laremont, the newly appointed Director of the NYC Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission, when asked about her priorities in light of <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/382442/mayor-bill-de-blasio" target="_blank">Mayor Bill de Blasio</a>'s term coming to an end soon: "We believe our priorities will continue to be the new mayor's priorities in dealing with the challenging issue of not having enough affordable housing for all our citizens. Other public realm issues we face coming out of the pandemic are job opportunities and economic development."<br></p>