Press
Review for What Makes a Great City
by Richard Peiser, Michael D. Spear Professor of Real Estate Development (Harvard GSD), Yale Constructs, Spring 2017
“Garvin’s book will appeal to numerous readers, from professional city planners and real estate planners to anyone who is interested in their urban environment. In challenging readers to ask 'What makes a city great?' Garvin accomplishes what he has done for generations of Yale students: he challenges us to think deeply about the places we love (and hate) and what can be done to make them better.
by Richard Peiser, Michael D. Spear Professor of Real Estate Development (Harvard GSD), Yale Constructs, Spring 2017
“Garvin’s book will appeal to numerous readers, from professional city planners and real estate planners to anyone who is interested in their urban environment. In challenging readers to ask 'What makes a city great?' Garvin accomplishes what he has done for generations of Yale students: he challenges us to think deeply about the places we love (and hate) and what can be done to make them better.
The Right Strategies
by Alex Cohen, Architectural Record, December 2016
“For urbanists, planners, and architects who appreciate well-designed public spaces, Alexander Garvin’s latest publication delivers a carefully constructed tour of cities that accomplish this goal...In the tradition of social scientist William H. Whyte, who studied the behavior of users of public places, What Makes a Great City reflects the author’s keen observations of why people gravitate to inviting parks and pedestrianized shopping districts. It fittingly provides the history of how these environments evolved and who planned them.”
by Alex Cohen, Architectural Record, December 2016
“For urbanists, planners, and architects who appreciate well-designed public spaces, Alexander Garvin’s latest publication delivers a carefully constructed tour of cities that accomplish this goal...In the tradition of social scientist William H. Whyte, who studied the behavior of users of public places, What Makes a Great City reflects the author’s keen observations of why people gravitate to inviting parks and pedestrianized shopping districts. It fittingly provides the history of how these environments evolved and who planned them.”
What Makes a Great City? Look to Uptown Houston
by Diane Cowen, Houston Chronicle, October 9, 2016
“Educated as an architect, Garvin has taught urban planning and management at Yale University for half a century. He’s also CEO of AGA Public Realm Strategists and was responsible for planning the rebuilding of the World Trade Center in New York...Over the years, conferences, lectures, and calls from friends and former students have drawn him all over the world...Garvin may be a city planner, but he’s better described as an urban anthropologist. Not only does he note what has changed in a location, but he digs to learn how and why.
In Houston, Garvin credits Gerald Hines, whose real estate acumen led to the building of Galleria and some of the city’s most architecturally significant buildings. His work paved the way for many more to come.
‘If you have a great architect, you get a better building. If you have a better building, it’s easier to get customers for it,’ Garvin said...Garvin raves about the work underway to transform Post Oak into a grand boulevard…
‘I’m really quite delighted to see this,’ he said. ‘It never would have occurred to me when I first saw Post Oak that it would, over a half century, grow into what I see as one of the finest boulevards in the country.’”
by Diane Cowen, Houston Chronicle, October 9, 2016
“Educated as an architect, Garvin has taught urban planning and management at Yale University for half a century. He’s also CEO of AGA Public Realm Strategists and was responsible for planning the rebuilding of the World Trade Center in New York...Over the years, conferences, lectures, and calls from friends and former students have drawn him all over the world...Garvin may be a city planner, but he’s better described as an urban anthropologist. Not only does he note what has changed in a location, but he digs to learn how and why.
In Houston, Garvin credits Gerald Hines, whose real estate acumen led to the building of Galleria and some of the city’s most architecturally significant buildings. His work paved the way for many more to come.
‘If you have a great architect, you get a better building. If you have a better building, it’s easier to get customers for it,’ Garvin said...Garvin raves about the work underway to transform Post Oak into a grand boulevard…
‘I’m really quite delighted to see this,’ he said. ‘It never would have occurred to me when I first saw Post Oak that it would, over a half century, grow into what I see as one of the finest boulevards in the country.’”
The Heart, Brain, and Soul of Cities--a review of Public Parks: The Key to Livable Communities by Alexander Garvin
by Adrian Benepe, The Nature of Cities, January 25, 2016
"While Garvin’s global gallivanting to provide examples is enjoyable, those who work in the park management realm may find his four concluding chapters, which address Stewardship, Finance and Governance, the Role of the Public, and Sustainability, to be most illuminating. In those chapters, Garvin neatly summarizes the many strategies developed in recent decades to create, restore, fund and manage parks—no small trick when many pressing needs absorb the bulk of the urban treasury. With some focus on examples in New York City—where the park conservancy model was born and perfected—and also with a diverse set of examples from cities across the U.S., Garvin explains the many different funding and management models, from more traditional public funding, to business improvement districts and conservancies that belie the notion that cities can’t afford to have great parks...."
by Adrian Benepe, The Nature of Cities, January 25, 2016
"While Garvin’s global gallivanting to provide examples is enjoyable, those who work in the park management realm may find his four concluding chapters, which address Stewardship, Finance and Governance, the Role of the Public, and Sustainability, to be most illuminating. In those chapters, Garvin neatly summarizes the many strategies developed in recent decades to create, restore, fund and manage parks—no small trick when many pressing needs absorb the bulk of the urban treasury. With some focus on examples in New York City—where the park conservancy model was born and perfected—and also with a diverse set of examples from cities across the U.S., Garvin explains the many different funding and management models, from more traditional public funding, to business improvement districts and conservancies that belie the notion that cities can’t afford to have great parks...."
Brooklyn-Queens waterfront streetcar line, an idea whose time has come
by Raanan Geberer, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 24, 2015
"A Brooklyn-Queens transit plan formulated by urban planner and Yale professor Alexander Garvin is getting the attention of some heavy hitters in the borough.
Garvin has proposed a streetcar line that would unite the fast-growing Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts. The route that is currently being discussed would run from Astoria to Sunset Park, serving the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Industry City, residential neighborhoods and more, with connections to subways, buses and ferries..."
by Raanan Geberer, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 24, 2015
"A Brooklyn-Queens transit plan formulated by urban planner and Yale professor Alexander Garvin is getting the attention of some heavy hitters in the borough.
Garvin has proposed a streetcar line that would unite the fast-growing Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts. The route that is currently being discussed would run from Astoria to Sunset Park, serving the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Industry City, residential neighborhoods and more, with connections to subways, buses and ferries..."
Brooklyn Considers a Waterfront Streetcar
by Sally Goldenberg and Dana Rubenstein, Capital New York, July 31, 2015
"For years, developers have been drawn to the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront, enticed by its skyline views and proximity to Manhattan...this latest effort to better connect Brooklyn to Queens was inspired, in part, by Garvin, president and C.E.O. of design firm AGA Public Realm Strategists, who has long advocated for this sort of thing..."
by Sally Goldenberg and Dana Rubenstein, Capital New York, July 31, 2015
"For years, developers have been drawn to the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront, enticed by its skyline views and proximity to Manhattan...this latest effort to better connect Brooklyn to Queens was inspired, in part, by Garvin, president and C.E.O. of design firm AGA Public Realm Strategists, who has long advocated for this sort of thing..."
In Houston (!): A Textbook Example of Urban Planning
by Lisa Gray, Houston Chronicle, June 8, 2015
"'Here's the story,' said Alexander Garvin. 'Here's a New York planning expert who doesn't think Houston is a stupid place to go, that you can learn something here.' To call Garvin a 'New York planning expert' is, he surely knows, to understate his résumé: The bow-tied master of big urban realpolitik, he led NYC2012, New York's Olympic bid, viewing it less as a celebration of athleticism than as an chance to make large-scale improvements to the city..."
by Lisa Gray, Houston Chronicle, June 8, 2015
"'Here's the story,' said Alexander Garvin. 'Here's a New York planning expert who doesn't think Houston is a stupid place to go, that you can learn something here.' To call Garvin a 'New York planning expert' is, he surely knows, to understate his résumé: The bow-tied master of big urban realpolitik, he led NYC2012, New York's Olympic bid, viewing it less as a celebration of athleticism than as an chance to make large-scale improvements to the city..."
Dissecting New York City's High Line
by Ralph Gardner, Jr., The Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2014
"There's no doubt that the High Line, celebrating its fifth anniversary this month, is a smashing success. But what exactly is it? A linear park? A boardwalk? A highbrow amusement park ride? An urban beach? A perennial garden? An art installation? All of the above? To sort out this confusion, I enlisted Alex Garvin to walk the mile-long span with me..."
by Ralph Gardner, Jr., The Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2014
"There's no doubt that the High Line, celebrating its fifth anniversary this month, is a smashing success. But what exactly is it? A linear park? A boardwalk? A highbrow amusement park ride? An urban beach? A perennial garden? An art installation? All of the above? To sort out this confusion, I enlisted Alex Garvin to walk the mile-long span with me..."
Brooklyn to Queens, but Not by Subway: I. Imagining a Streetcar Line Along the Waterfront
by Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times, April 20, 2014
“A few Brooklyn and Queens residents may like their inaccessibility, but transit is about more than getting around. It maps a city’s priorities, creating a spine and a future for neighborhoods. It’s about economic as well as social mobility. So while Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to refine his agenda, including that promise of 200,000 units of affordable housing, he might consider a streetcar connecting Red Hook to Astoria...Credit for thinking up the route belongs to Alex Garvin, the urban planner. He floated the idea nearly a decade ago as a bulkier light rail line. The proposal was discussed in City Hall and in planning circles but languished. Updated, its time has come.”
by Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times, April 20, 2014
“A few Brooklyn and Queens residents may like their inaccessibility, but transit is about more than getting around. It maps a city’s priorities, creating a spine and a future for neighborhoods. It’s about economic as well as social mobility. So while Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to refine his agenda, including that promise of 200,000 units of affordable housing, he might consider a streetcar connecting Red Hook to Astoria...Credit for thinking up the route belongs to Alex Garvin, the urban planner. He floated the idea nearly a decade ago as a bulkier light rail line. The proposal was discussed in City Hall and in planning circles but languished. Updated, its time has come.”
How to Build a Better City
by Julia Vitullo-Martin, The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2013
"During the early years of the Koch administration when a near-bankrupt New York City was subject to state imposed financial controls similar to those forced on Detroit earlier this year, many city officials read Robert Caro's book "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" as if it were the Bible. They wanted to know how he did it. How did he actually build something. They were trying to manage a ramshackle city that had once."
by Julia Vitullo-Martin, The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2013
"During the early years of the Koch administration when a near-bankrupt New York City was subject to state imposed financial controls similar to those forced on Detroit earlier this year, many city officials read Robert Caro's book "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" as if it were the Bible. They wanted to know how he did it. How did he actually build something. They were trying to manage a ramshackle city that had once."
Trying to Love 86th Street
by Ralph Gardner Jr. The Wall Street Journal, Jun. 15, 2011
"I hate East 86th Street, always have. I remember how depressed it made me feel as a little kid, and a West Sider, when my aunt took me there to buy me a birthday present. If a street can send you into a tailspin on so ostensibly a joyous and acquisitive an occasion as your birthday, and before you even possess the psychological and intellectual apparatus to recognize depression, you know there must be something seriously wrong."
by Ralph Gardner Jr. The Wall Street Journal, Jun. 15, 2011
"I hate East 86th Street, always have. I remember how depressed it made me feel as a little kid, and a West Sider, when my aunt took me there to buy me a birthday present. If a street can send you into a tailspin on so ostensibly a joyous and acquisitive an occasion as your birthday, and before you even possess the psychological and intellectual apparatus to recognize depression, you know there must be something seriously wrong."
Treasuring Urban Oases
by Michael Kimmelman. The New York Times, December 2, 2011
"Alexander Garvin, natty in bowtie and jacket, watched commuters hustle through the gray, sunken concrete plaza at Citigroup Center on Lexington Avenue. Across 53rd Street, in the fading afternoon light, more New Yorkers ducked into a faceless subway kiosk on the triangular patch of wind-swept sidewalk — ostensibly a second public plaza — that occupies the southeast corner. This is the city’s public realm, or part of it...."
by Michael Kimmelman. The New York Times, December 2, 2011
"Alexander Garvin, natty in bowtie and jacket, watched commuters hustle through the gray, sunken concrete plaza at Citigroup Center on Lexington Avenue. Across 53rd Street, in the fading afternoon light, more New Yorkers ducked into a faceless subway kiosk on the triangular patch of wind-swept sidewalk — ostensibly a second public plaza — that occupies the southeast corner. This is the city’s public realm, or part of it...."
Parks in Tough Times
by Ruth Eckdish Knack. Planning Magazine, November 2009
"Local governments everywhere are hurting - and park are feeling the pain. Maintenance, particularly, is suffering as a city and count payrolls are trimmed. According to a survey of urban park directors released this year by Resources for the Future, park budgets nationally are dropping as city and county general funds shrink. The result is less maintenance and curtailed expansions. Two examples, a new park in Sarasota, Florida, canceled because..."
by Ruth Eckdish Knack. Planning Magazine, November 2009
"Local governments everywhere are hurting - and park are feeling the pain. Maintenance, particularly, is suffering as a city and count payrolls are trimmed. According to a survey of urban park directors released this year by Resources for the Future, park budgets nationally are dropping as city and county general funds shrink. The result is less maintenance and curtailed expansions. Two examples, a new park in Sarasota, Florida, canceled because..."
The Greening of Downtown Atlanta
by Shaila Dewan. The New York Times, September 6, 2006
"Snaking through this city named after a railroad is a ring of mostly unused track, a kind of citywide gutter that for decades has divided neighborhoods and attracted only kudzu and trash. But lately parcels of land on either side of this forgotten alley have skyrocketed in value..."
by Shaila Dewan. The New York Times, September 6, 2006
"Snaking through this city named after a railroad is a ring of mostly unused track, a kind of citywide gutter that for decades has divided neighborhoods and attracted only kudzu and trash. But lately parcels of land on either side of this forgotten alley have skyrocketed in value..."
NYC Heavy-Hitter Weighs in on Shelby Farms
by Andy Meek, Memphis Daily News, May 25, 2006
"In the course he teaches at Yale College, 'Introduction to the Study of the City,' adjunct professor Alex Garvin has coordinated elaborate real estate war games with his students, pitting them against each other as developers, politicians and anyone else who makes a development deal click."
by Andy Meek, Memphis Daily News, May 25, 2006
"In the course he teaches at Yale College, 'Introduction to the Study of the City,' adjunct professor Alex Garvin has coordinated elaborate real estate war games with his students, pitting them against each other as developers, politicians and anyone else who makes a development deal click."
Atlanta Strings A New Emerald Necklace
by Patrik Jonsson. The Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 27, 2005
"Caught between Atlanta's shimmering downtown and its endless magnolia-laced suburbs is a moat of rusting forges and quarries, neighborhoods with names like Cabbagetown and Peoplestown, and crawdad-filled creeks in concrete runnels. For decades, Atlanta spead across cheap farmland in all directions. But in the past three years, developers have inceasingly set their sights on urban blight"
by Patrik Jonsson. The Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 27, 2005
"Caught between Atlanta's shimmering downtown and its endless magnolia-laced suburbs is a moat of rusting forges and quarries, neighborhoods with names like Cabbagetown and Peoplestown, and crawdad-filled creeks in concrete runnels. For decades, Atlanta spead across cheap farmland in all directions. But in the past three years, developers have inceasingly set their sights on urban blight"
Americans Plan Games Around Garvin's X-Factor
by Mihir Bose. The Telegraph, October 21, 2003
"Last Wednesday, as Barbara Cassani, the leader of the London 2012 bid, was being grilled by the Greater London Assembly, just across the river in the Strand the man masterminding the New York bid was giving a speech. Alexander Garvin may be the epitome of the smooth, East Coast Brahmin - he teaches urban planning at Yale University - but his very presence was a Yankee raid..."
by Mihir Bose. The Telegraph, October 21, 2003
"Last Wednesday, as Barbara Cassani, the leader of the London 2012 bid, was being grilled by the Greater London Assembly, just across the river in the Strand the man masterminding the New York bid was giving a speech. Alexander Garvin may be the epitome of the smooth, East Coast Brahmin - he teaches urban planning at Yale University - but his very presence was a Yankee raid..."
X Marks the Spot
by John Jeansonne. Newsday, July 15, 2003
"It is besides the point that Alexander Garvin 'never really paid attention to the Olympics' until he recruited to plan one. Or that Garvin, a high school miler, ended his athletic career as soon as he earned his varsity letter. At 62, he said, 'The sport I follow now is called opera. And the best athletes are the ones who can his high C.' Actually, his credentials are suitably Olympian: public official, author, university professor..."
by John Jeansonne. Newsday, July 15, 2003
"It is besides the point that Alexander Garvin 'never really paid attention to the Olympics' until he recruited to plan one. Or that Garvin, a high school miler, ended his athletic career as soon as he earned his varsity letter. At 62, he said, 'The sport I follow now is called opera. And the best athletes are the ones who can his high C.' Actually, his credentials are suitably Olympian: public official, author, university professor..."
Planner for Trade Center Rebuilding Resigns
by Edward Wyatt. The New York Times, April 17, 2003
"The director of planning at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, who personally invited Daniel Libeskind to enter the design competition for the World Trade Center site, has resigned, officials said yesterday. The planning chief, Alexander Garvin, notified the development corporation of his resignation, effective April 25, in a letter submitted last week, the rebuilding officials said..."
by Edward Wyatt. The New York Times, April 17, 2003
"The director of planning at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, who personally invited Daniel Libeskind to enter the design competition for the World Trade Center site, has resigned, officials said yesterday. The planning chief, Alexander Garvin, notified the development corporation of his resignation, effective April 25, in a letter submitted last week, the rebuilding officials said..."
