Alan Greenberger, the new head of the Department of Architecture Design and Urbanism in Drexel’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was honored with the American Institute of Architects’ 2017 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture, which recognizes excellence in architectural advocacy and achievement.
Greenberger won the award for his work as the City of Philadelphia’s deputy mayor for economic development and chairman of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission under former Mayor Michael Nutter.
During Greenberger’s tenure, the city rewrote its antiquated zoning code and produced a comprehensive plan called Philadelphia 2035, both the first of their kind in over 50 years. Philadelphia also experienced its biggest building boom in several generations, including new public spaces, waterfront parks and distinctive buildings, all of which Greenberger had a significant hand in bringing to fruition. Most notable among them are the renovation of the long-abandoned Divine Lorraine Hotel on North Broad Street and the Gallery at Market East, both of which had languished for decades and are now nearing completion, with a promise to re-energize their neighborhoods.