About the Book
Cities that stand still perish. Especially one that is supposed to never sleep.
Alongside Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Dan Doctoroff led New York's dramatic economic resurgence following the September 11th terrorist attacks. The five-borough economic development strategy included the most ambitious land-use transformation in the city's modern history; the largest affordable housing program ever launched by an American city; the formation of new Central Business Districts and Industrial Business Zones; and the creation of new destinations like the Harbor District, which will link together new parkland and miles of waterfront esplanades in Lower Manhattan, Governors Island, and Brooklyn. These projects have helped lead New York to its strongest economic position in decades.
During his tenure at City Hall, Doctoroff also led the creation of PlaNYC, a 127-point plan designed to make New York the first environmentally sustainable twenty-first-century city. The plan focuses on every facet of New York's physical environment--its transportation network, housing stock, land and park system, energy network, water supply, and air quality--and sets the course for a 30% reduction in global warming emissions by 2030.
All of this, plus the rejuvenation of Brooklyn, the flourishing art scene around the High Line, and the signal failure to land the Olympics, took place in a city with more complicated vested interests, local tribal politics, and gigantic egos than any other. The story of the reinvention of New York is a high-octane drama with some memorable cameo performances. At the middle is Doctoroff: intense, driven, determined to save a city from a monstrous outside attack and its own worst demons.
About the Author :
Dan Doctoroff is the founder and chief executive officer of Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that works with cities to build products that address big urban problems. Prior to launching Sidewalk, he was CEO and president of Bloomberg LP, the leading provider of financial news and information. From 2002-2008, he was New York City's deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding. Outside of work, he serves on the boards of the University of Chicago, World Resources Institute, and Human Rights First. He is a founder of Target ALS, an initiative to streamline discovery of new approaches to treating ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), and a founder and chairman of Culture Shed, New York's newest cultural institution.
Review :
"[Greater Than Ever] chronicles Doctoroff's time as deputy mayor and offers an inside-city-hall look at what it took to revive lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks, grow and diversify the city's economy, spur major projects such as Hudson Yards and the High Line, increase affordable housing investment, and more."--Next City
"[An] entertaining affirmation of government's ability to shape society, physically and economically... There are a dozen smart ideas here worth replicating."--Architectural Record
"A fascinating peek at a critical moment in New York's history."--Curbed New York
"A must-read for urban development wonks."--Media Post
"A valuable lesson in how much money, brainpower and relentless application it takes to achieve real progress in a big city beset by old-school politics, racial and ethnic conflict, and crumbling infrastructure... The Wall Street savvy of Mr. Doctoroff and the people he recruited conjured innovative financial solutions that often saved the day... No one can fairly argue that Bloomberg and Co. didn't leave New York far, far stronger than they found it."--Wall Street Journal
"An optimistic urbanist voice is especially welcome and timely."--Harvard Magazine
"Doctoroff had a sweeping portfolio of responsibilities, but his most important legacy-and one of the Bloomberg administration's-was the physical revival of New York City."--City Journal
"Few people have had a greater impact on the look and feel of New York City than Dan Doctoroff... In his new memoir, Greater Than Ever, he describes the behind the scenes policy discussions that led to projects like the High Line, Hudson Yards, the World Trade Center Complex, and Barclays Center. He remains on the cutting edge of urbanism."--City Lab
"Lots of people (like me) write about cities and city-building, Daniel L. Doctoroff actually builds cities. As the world embarks on the greatest wave of urbanism in history, Greater than Ever provides the playbook for building truly great cities based on Doctoroff's experience rebuilding the world's greatest city, New York."--Richard Florida, author of TheRise of the Creative Class and The New Urban Crisis
"The recovery of New York in the ten years after the World Trade Center disaster was nothing short of miraculous. The skyscrapers, the jobs, and the sense of optimism all returned. New York was once again the capital of the world. No one had more to do with this result than Daniel L. Doctoroff. Whether the topic is affordable housing, the High Line, Ground Zero, the campaign for the Olympics, or the reconstruction of the waterfront, Doctoroff had his fingers all over the fight. Greater Than Ever is Doctoroff's story, and he tells it with humility, clarity, grace, perception, and honesty."--Kenneth T. Jackson, editor in chief, Encyclopedia of New York City, and Barzun Professor of History, ColumbiaUniversity
"Under Doctoroff's leadership, the landscape of New York from Lower Manhattan to downtown Brooklyn has radically changed. During his six years in office, Doctoroff laid the groundwork for the High Line, now one of New York's most popular tourist attractions, and Hudson Yards, an entire new neighborhood that will bring the city billions in tax revenue over the next decades."--Fast Company
"Whenever I ride my bicycle through New York, I can see the personal imprint of Daniel L. Doctoroff, whose visionary work made the city we both love better. This book is a bird's-eye view of successful government, told by an effective, bold, and persuasive public servant."--Senator Chuck Schumer, New York
