The Institute for Urban Design announced today that it has appointed Anne Guiney as new Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Design. Guiney, a veteran architecture and design editor and journalist, succeeds Olympia Kazi, who has held the post since 2007 and is departing to become the Executive Director of the Van Alen Institute.
Most recently, Guiney was the editor of the New York edition of The Architect’s Newspaper, and was part of the original team that launched the newspaper in 2003. Prior, she was an editor at Architecture magazine and Metropolis, and has written widely on architecture and design for other publications, including Architect, MARK, ID, and Details. She has also worked as a consultant organizing high-profile architecture competitions (working with Jones | Kroloff), including the commissions for the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Parrish Art Museum, and the Portland Aerial Tramway.
Guiney joins the Institute at an important moment in its history. In September 2009, the Rockefeller Foundation awarded the Institute a $150,000 grant from its Cultural Innovation Fund, in support of Urban Design Week (scheduled for Spring 2011), an annual public event to engage citizens in the complex processes behind the making of a city. “With Urban Design Week and many other initiatives we are planning, the Institute can evolve into an important voice in the larger public conversation about cities and how they work,” says Guiney. “In the last several years, the civic debate has spread beyond its traditional precincts, but for many people the centrality of urban design isn’t readily evident, and thus there is a real opportunity for the Institute.”
Says Michael Sorkin, president of the Institute for Urban Design’s board of directors, “Anne Guiney is a remarkable journalist, urbanist, and organizer. We feel extremely fortunate that she will lead our efforts going forward.” Guiney assumes her post immediately.
Download the Press Release [PDF]
Tags: Anne Guiney, Executive Director, Institute for Urban Design, New York City
