Building on recent momentum, the multidisciplinary design firm is stacking the deck by engaging a multi-talented planning and housing policy analyst.
The multidisciplinary architecture, design and planning firm WXY architecture + urban design has named Traci Sanders to the position of Director, Civic Impact. Beginning in mid-October, Sanders has joined the firm to direct planning projects and contribute to business development.
Previously, Sanders has served as policy associate at New York University’s Furman Center, a group that advances research on public policy issues involving real estate, land use and housing. Before that, she worked as a policy analyst in the Office of the Speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, following experience as a planner for the land-use practice at Kramer, Levin, Naftalis, & Frankel.
“As a planner and housing policy professional with experience in the private and public sectors as well as in academia, Traci Sanders brings strong expertise and a valuable perspective to WXY architecture + urban design,” says Adam Lubinsky, PhD, AICP, the firm’s managing principal. Claire Weisz, the founding principal of WXY, added, “Traci will bring a critical voice to the kind of firm that we are working to establish — one that grapples with the role of planning and design within a complex city.”
Sanders originally learned about the work of WXY architecture + urban design through her work at the law firm Kramer Levin, and later had the opportunity to work directly with Lubinsky and team while working with Speaker Mark-Viverito on the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan.
“What attracted me to WXY is how the team considers the impact of their work on people, place, and policy, in every case,” says Sanders. “Take for example the redevelopment of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Hunts Point neighborhood in the Bronx: This project brought together both for-profit and nonprofit developers, as well as a number of community-based organizations with deep roots in Hunts Point — The POINT CDC, Sustainable South Bronx, Bronxworks, and the Casita Center, and others — to develop a 100% affordable housing site with an integrated economic development component that brings with it jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.”
WXY architecture + urban design is a recognized leader in planning, urban design, architecture and innovative engagement practice. In addition to the work mentioned, recent projects led by the firm have created plans and designs for the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the Rockaway Boardwalk, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the schools in New Rochelle, New York, among others.
Sanders brings her development and political expertise to a team seeking to continue its track record of successful engagements in large-scale, ambitious projects like the Spofford mixed-use complex. “I look forward to ensuring that WXY will be involved in equitable developments that continue to engage communities and produce high-quality architectural and urban design solutions,” she says.
About WXY architecture + urban design
WXY is an award-winning, studio-based multidisciplinary partnership based in New York City. Specializing in the public dimension of design, WXY’s planning, architectural and urban design work is celebrated for its innovative approach on behalf of public and private initiatives. WXY excels in complex urban challenges, education and civic buildings, parks and waterfront developments, and other projects ranging from furniture designs to regional plans. WXY’s integrated design process involves clients and stakeholders, yielding valuable solutions both large and small. Learn more at www.wxystudio.com.