Speaker, urban planner, placemaker and professor of practice. Former NYC Parks Commissioner, Raleigh Chief Planner and AICP & APA President.

Raleigh, NC
Joined April 2011
Class two of Better Block University is in the books! Guest speaker @mitchell_silver joined our "Creating a Framework" session to share powerful insights on placemaking and public space. Watch a clip from his talk and get inspired!
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
Urbanists and city-lovers, have you read this yet? From ⁦@APA_Planning⁩. I’m interviewed, along with ⁦@Nerd4Cities⁩ ⁦@mitchell_silver⁩ etc. Think about it. planning.org/planning/2025/f…
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There’s a lot of confusion about this. You do not pay a user charge for city streets. In fact, street maintenance is a municipal expense from the municipal tax base, collected through property taxes. Whether I walk, take transit, cycle, or drive I pay the same amount of tax for the streets. That’s the problem. We need to better incentivize, low impact mobility choices. The lack of a user fee incentivizes driving, which has the biggest negative impacts on urban life.
We already paid for the streets
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
Come support #publicspace from another digital space! Join the growing list of inspiring urbanists. A strong #placemaking conversation and community is also needed there. The placemaking leaders on there so far are in this “Starter Pack”: bsky.app/profile/placemaking…
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
Your new City Council is sworn in and ready to serve! From L to R: Corey Branch, District C Megan Patton, District B Christina Jones, District E Jane Harrison, District D Janet Cowell, Mayor Mitchell Silver, District A Jonathan Lambert-Melton, At Large Stormie Denise Forte, At Large | #RalPol #Raleigh
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
The Return of New Localism: the realignment of the federal government will force cities and metros to organize, collaborate, invest and innovate at levels unprecedented in U.S. history … my latest with ⁦@FloSchalliol⁩ thenewlocalism.com/newslette…
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Fantastic Keeble lecture by @mitchell_silver, former Chief Planning Officer & Planning Director of Raleigh & former New York City Parks Commissioner. Inspiring words promoting a more ethical and people-centric planning focus. – at Brisbane, Queensland
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
NEW: What can EVERY Downtown learn from Sacramento’s NEW downtown housing strategy? (HINT: It’s more than just housing!) The San Francisco Chronicle asked me to write this OP-ED about our new @DowntownSac Downtown Livability Strategy. Please share! sfchronicle.com/opinion/open…
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
Replying to @BrentToderian
At the 2012 National Planning Conference in LA, then-APA president @mitchell_silver said planners are guardians of the future. If kids and young adults are the future, then planners are guardians of people. That narrative can build consensus and interest in planning.
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Happy #CityTechTuesday! Starting today, every Tuesday we will spotlight a city featured in @notrobwalker’s new book “City Tech: 20 Apps, Ideas, and Innovators Changing the Urban Landscape.” Up first is Raleigh, North Carolina (@raleighgov).
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His grassroots effort evolved into Walk [Your City], a global movement that inspired more than 700 campaigns to encourage walkability in 50-plus countries. Featuring insights from Julie Campoli and former Raleigh planning director @mitchell_silver (@RaleighPlanning).
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For Creating Connections, we sent an open invitation for designers, architects, and innovators to explore how public design can impact and connect communities as an epidemic of loneliness is sweeping the country. Curious to see how it all came together? shorturl.at/bzw3P
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Mitchell Silver retweeted
Pretty cool running into former NYC Parks Commissioner @mitchell_silver at Greater and Greener. Five minutes in the hallway with that much knowledge is a blessing.
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At Better Block, we’re not big fans of walls. So we jump at any chance to show how you can overcome them with a bit of tactical urbanism. @mitchell_silver emphasized that by removing physical, social, and regulatory barriers, we’re fostering connections and combating loneliness.
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Thank you to everyone that participated in the Creating Connections design competition! Congrats to our top three winners: • First Place | Confluence by Zac Feltoon • Second Place | Resonance by N’ụlọ Adaeze • Third Place | Connection Bench by Jordan Bowman and Danny Krafft
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With the help of volunteers from the @BeckGroup, @ntxford, and our board members, we added in some of our Wikiblock elements to create a more inviting and comfortable environment around @thanksgivingsq. Come check it out tomorrow from 4 - 8pm!
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Today’s the day! Our final contestants for the Creating Connections competition are building their final structures for their designs and will be ready for the community to use during today’s demonstration. See if design can solve loneliness at @thanksgivingsq from 4 - 8pm!
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Meet the judges for the Creating Connections design competition! Save the date for June 13 from 4:00 - 8:00pm to see the final designs in-person at Thanks-Giving Square in Downtown Dallas and the chance to vote for your favorite for People's Choice: bit.ly/49lRcvX
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