Donald H. Elliott

Early life and education Donald Harrison Elliott was born in Manhattan on August 20, 1932, In Lindsay's administration, Elliott oversaw the transition of Mayor Robert F. Wagner's administration,

According to Judge Marrero, Elliott "infused great youthful energy ... into the reform of the town planning department. To do this, he recruited an impressive cadre of young planners and architects outside of the civil service, which meant making some bureaucratic interests very unhappy". He also encouraged the sale of air rights, progressive standards for projects, and neighborhood preservation. Elliott also worked with the administration to create “community planning boards,” now known as community boards, to encourage community engagement. According to Paul Goldberger, "Donald Elliott was a realist who believed in the need to make the city more livable, and he used inventive legal tactics in trying to balance the forces at play in New York. New York's whole approach to planning has changed, and he has played a key role in almost every innovation".

Later career After New York's fiscal crisis in the mid-1970s, the private sector began to take a larger role in planning and design, causing many of Elliott's social efforts in planning to fall by the wayside in favor of business and luxury. In 1975, Elliott became chairman of the New York Urban Coalition following Herbert B. Woodman's retirement.

Following his civil service work Elliott resumed his legal career by becoming Counsel for law firm Bryant Rabbino. He "represented clients before the NYC Planning Commission, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals. He [was] also the attorney and advisor on a number of large-scale projects around the country, including projects in New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Santa Fe". In 1987, Elliott became a founding trustee on the board of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in New York, acting as Counsel and advisor.

Personal life Elliott wed Barbara Ann Burton (d. 1998) in 1956, and they had three sons.

Elliott died aged 89 years in Brooklyn on 23 December 2021.

Publications