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Tag Archives: Amanda Burden
Amanda Burden Profile
By Jennifer Ross
The Amanda Burden Story, written by Julie Satow, is a complicated profile story of a woman’s job to transform the image of one of the nation’s largest cities through the governmental tool of rezoning. Ms. Burden, an expat of the socialite world, goes to great lengths, a feat many higher political professionals do not attempt in their own work, of understanding the issues before her in order to make a decision to the best of her ability. Some may call this an exemplary model of professionalism, while others may view it as micro-management.
Amanda Burden
Image: Wikipedia
In my opinion, Satow gives an unbiased view of Burden. Satow gives both the good, such as the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars created as a result of the rezoning of Chelsea and its formerly-abandoned elevated-subway line, and the bad, with threat of gentrification infecting the city through extensive redevelopment of areas once left in the dark from new business. More importantly, for every quote in favor of Burden, she counters it with another quote against her. With the amount of quotes from many different sources, one can deduce that much research and effort was poured into the article by Satow. Now, whether the information in the article is in the portrayal image of what one would think a story on Burden would be, that is a normative statement I would not say.
The image I am left with of Burden is one of many distinctions. For a woman with her attention to detail and decision making skills, with the ability to stand before persuasive developers and not be swayed one way or the other, one would not assume she came from a background of opulence and luxuriousness many of us have not, and may never, experience. I can see how some people may see her in a negative light, due to either her decisions of improving the city, which could have led to “gentrification”, or to her ancestral background, assuming everything was handed to her on a silver spoon. In today’s world it can be difficult for some to see a woman in this position, with her character of strength and determination. Overall, I prefer to accept both sides of her as they are because not one person in this world is either good or bad completely.
Amanda Burden Response
My favorite part of this profile by Ms. Satow was a short transition paragraph that clarified who Amanda Burden is:
“But critics say that the sum total of Ms. Burden’s ambitions will be a gentrified city that no longer has a place for working-class New Yorkers.”
This short and sweet summation of Amanda Burden’s “critics” with a hot-button word that everyone loves to hate, “gentrification,” this really broke into the story and where the sides seem to switch by the reporter.
I like that Satow made Burden appear as though she is some kind of modern day Jackie O-esque superwoman with her fashion sense, ties to big names on the social ladder, but great attention to detail.
I thought the use of the word “balked” when describing Burden’s reaction to a presentation before her was funny. “Balk” has such a negative connotation, and this sentence made it seem like she was a bit elitist. Satow’s harsh quotes from the president of the tenant’s association at public housing about the Highline really illuminated the difference between Burden and her constituents: rich and poor.
I also think the article largely highlighted how her rezoning has negatively affected the city.
Posted in Amanda Burden
Tagged Amanda Burden, Rebecca Ungarino
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Amanda Burden
Julie Satow’s profile makes all the journalistic stops in writing a piece that gives the reader the full picture. She has included commentary from people for Ms. Burden’s way of doing things and against it. Arguably, Satow’s seems to sneak in her point of view in the way she structured this article. The reader gets know Ms. Burden through her fashion sense and younger years socializing among society’s elite. This causes a problem because Ms. Burden’s first class status then haunts the story.
At times, her status makes her seem she could care less about the poor in lines such as, “gentrification is merely a pejorative term for necessary growth.” The kicker in this story makes me believe the author’s point of view is that Ms. Burden is out to make the city only for the well to do. The title further solidifies my thoughts on this. This article seems to be more of a pledge against gentrification disguised as a profile about the planning commissioner.
Amanda Burden Article Response
The contrasts made within the first few sentences place Amanda Burden as an infiltrator. “…her…sophisticated dress contrasting with the worn-out rug.” This is not merely an observation but Julie Satow’s assumption of what Ms. Burden may feel when she is inside some of New York’s oldest buildings.
The article highlights Burden’s portfolio of revitalization in New York but the writer is fair in that she offers the point of view of the critics, too. However, there seems to be a bias that leaves us with an image of a large construction ball, swinging over New York to cut it down to the status quo. Burden’s own credentials create her defense in this piece.
Amongst details of a fashionable woman of well-to-do stature who has dated socialites and experienced a couple of failed marriages, we still get a glimpse into Ms. Burden’s accomplishments. For these projects Satow does follow with criticisms from various sources. She seems to focus on the impact gentrification has had on the local community. Even in the second to last paragraph she explains Burden’s relocation plans as clustering greater density around transit hubs. It is evident that this cluster-effect is Satow’s view of Burden’s projected developments being consolidated and – expected to take up to 30 years- jammed into 19 months.
Posted in Amanda Burden
Tagged Amanda Burden, Nirvani Harriram
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Amanda Burden
Q: Do you think that this lengthy profile of Amanda Burden is fair and/or unbiased? Does the writer (Julie Satow) reveal her own point-of-view?
Q: What image are we left with of Burden?
Although author Julie Satow clearly intended for her profile of Amanda Burden to be unbiased and neutral, I could not help but get a message of critical discontent that the author has for the Director of City Planning. The title itself, “Amanda Burden Wants to Remake New York. She Has 19 Months Left.”, assumes that Ms. Burden is merely a inexperienced newcomer with no prior accomplishment in the industry and has an unattainable goal, which the author sarcastically states has the short time limit of 19 months.
The profile opens with a brief description of Burden’s distinct appearance. It is one, according to the author, that is incredibly different than her surroundings. While she had a “…sheath dress, impossibly thin, and with a blonde bob reminiscent of the “Mad Men” 60’s…” assumes that Burden is an outsider, whose overly outlandish demeanor, dress, and ideas are simply part of a glamorous and idealistic television show, rendering her incapable of making pragmatic decisions aligned with the public’s interests, and making her blind to the consequences of said decisions.
Throughout the profile we are introduced to Ms. Burdens many accomplishments, and then immediately reminded of her critics’ disapproval in every strategy and project that she had carried out. She had created a huge development of parkland and waterfront in her tenure, yet the critics said her ambitions leave no place for working-class New Yorkers. She had always been very keen on paying attention to the fine details of projects, yet that had led to criticism and unrest among those needing that have to deal with her frustrating micromanaging.
I believe Satow included the section of her affluent upbringing and socialite past to emphasize that the control of New York’s planning and infrastructure should not lie in a woman who has come from such a foreign world than the many working-class New Yorkers who will inevitably be affected by her ambitious decision making. Yet, luckily for all of us, there are a mere 19 months left in this experiment.
Amanda Burden
“Ms. Burden argues that gentrification is merely a pejorative term for necessary growth.”I agree that gentrification will inevitably happen but I disagree that a neighborhood will not grow without it. Creating expensive housing will only drive out the poor. If this development occurs in all neighborhoods, where will the poor go?
Adding phrases like “clipped diction”, “sophisticated dress” gives the reader the opportunity to get to know Burden a little. Although her office is worn out, according to the article, Burden makes time to dress well. Also, by describing her office as worn out, Satow implies that Burden doesn’t waste tame by decorating her office. That detail gives the reader the implication that the condition of her office is not a priority, but that the condition of our neighborhoods are.
Overall, i think Statow was fair but not completely objective when she wrote this article.
Statow emphasizes her past of being a socialite, implying that it might have an influence over her plans for New York. Statow uses phrases like “glossy condominiums and parkland” implies that Burden may want to transform the city with shiny buildings.
Also, the title “Amanda Burden Wants to Remake New York. She Has 19 Months Left” seems as if Statow is counting down the time Burden has left perhaps because she wants someone else to take Burdens place. The title also made me feel like Statow was implying that since Burden only has 19 months left, she may be making rush decisions in order for everything to be done before she has to step down.
Posted in Amanda Burden
Tagged Amanda Burden, Burden, Margarita Lappost
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