Julie Satow’s, article about Amanda Burden’s accomplishments as director of the New York City Planning Department under the Bloomberg Administration, does a phenomenal job depicting her accomplishments, life history, and the controversy surrounding many of her projects.

Satow reports that Burden, who hails from a wealthy and politically connected family, is “expected to have rezoned about 40 percent of New York,” upon completion of her tenure.

Despite opposing Mayor Bloomberg in the 2002 city election, Burden is eternally grateful for her appointment. Her resume boasts the rezoning of the West Side Rail Yards for mixed residential and commercial use, the revered transformation of the abandoned derelict railroad tracks of the Highline into a beautiful park, and the rezoning of the Brooklyn Waterfront from a rust belt area into beautiful park space and new housing.

While many praise Burden for creating jobs, and revitalizing blighted neighborhoods, critics assert that many of her projects are displacing the lower class in New York City and that most of the new housing she created caters solely to the wealthy.