Image Credit: NYC Public Design Commission.
Banerjea’s past projects include Broadway Junction, Sunnyside Yard and the Seaport Climate Resilience Masterplan. On June 10, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams appointed a new executive director for the New York City Public Design Commission (PDC), Sreoshy Banerjea. Banerjea is replacing Keri Butler, the outgoing executive director of the Public Design Commission who has been with the agency for over a decade. The New York City Public Design Commission has authority over permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over City-owned property. The Commission is in charge of improving the public realm by advocating for innovative, sustainable, and equitable designs.
Banerjea has a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in urban design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Banerjea has over six years of architectural experience working as the vice president of urban design for the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Banerjea also provided public assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic by founding Design Corps which assisted over 70 restaurants in design-related needs. Banerjea won the 2021 American Institution of Architects “Service to the City” award for making tangible design contributions for the betterment of New Yorkers by making New York City a better place to live.
Banerjea also worked on countless public projects including: Sunnyside Yard, Broadway Junction, Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, Downtown Far Rockaway, Inwood, and Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Masterplan.
As Commissioner, she will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer.
Mayor Adams stated, “I am thrilled that a model public servant like Sreoshy Banerjea is taking the reins at the Public Design Commission. New Yorkers deserve public spaces that reflect the best of our city and the values we hold dear, and Sreoshy has a proven track record of translating those both into art and space. I also want to thank Keri Butler for her many years of service to PDC and to the city, and I look forward to continuing to ‘Get Stuff Done’ with our new leadership.”
Banerjea stated, “I am humbled and honored to accept the role of executive director at PDC…. I look forward to… increase dialogue and diversity in the profession and encourage a new pipeline of design talent to shape the urban fabric of New York City.”
Many people expressed their excitement for Banerjea’s appointment and look forward to Banerjea using her vast experience and creative mind in improving the public realm.
By: Malka Amar (Malka is a CityLaw intern and New York Law School student, Class of 2023.)