Alexander Garvin, Famed Planner, Author, and Teacher, Dies at 80

Alexander Garvin passed away in New York on December 17, 2021.

1 minute read

December 21, 2021, 11:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Paul Goldberger writes in the New York Times of the death of Alexander Garvin, whose career in planning has no peer:

Alexander Garvin, a city planner, architect and author who directed the planning for the former World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11 attacks and developed the vision for a 2012 Olympics proposal in New York, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 80.

The article details Mr. Garvin's time working for five mayoral administrations in New York City.  The article also recognizes Mr. Garvin's contributions to the canon of planning literature, authoring The American City: What Works, What Doesn’t (1996) and The Planning Game (2013), and What Makes a Great City (2016).

Among the other career highlights described in the detailed obituary, linked below, are Mr. Garvin's first encounter with the work of Jane Jacobs, time spent working for Philip Johnson, creating the bid that almost brought the 2012 Olympics to New York but still transformed the city, working for the Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency that oversaw the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site, time working on the Beltline in Atlanta, and 55 years teaching planning at Yale University.

Monday, December 20, 2021 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Floor-to-ceiling rotating gates at Fairmount subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems

SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

April 28 - Mass Transit

South LA Wetlands Park in Los Angeles, California.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope

Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

April 28 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Intersection in downtown Sacramento, California with neoclassical building with columns on left.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects

The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.

April 28 - The Sacramento Bee