Larry Witzling PhD, AIA, PLA
Senior Planner
I always liked mazes, riddles and geometric puzzles. I also love public places and cities. These two passions sum up how I start a plan. These two challenges are never isolated, nor can they be met without a high-performance team. Planning is collaborative, requiring strong communities, talented designers and solid resources. The planning process begins with a good idea that can come from different people or disciplines — citizens, leaders, colleagues, history, art and science. That good idea must be tested continually and revised with skill, knowledge and occasional wisdom.
Fun Fact: I grew up in a unique area of midtown Manhattan called Stuyvesant Town. In our fifth floor apartment, I built houses out of small blocks for my Lionel trains while subway trains ran under our street. At age 7, I asked my mother who made real buildings. She answered, "architects," and this launched my career in architecture and urban planning. Meanwhile, the Lionel trains keep running in our basement.
