Mayor Michelle Wu has appointed Kairos Shen as Boston’s new Chief of Planning.
Shen will lead the Planning Division, which was established by Wu in July.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Kairos into leadership of Boston’s Planning Department and all the critical functions shaping the built environment for affordability, equity, and resilience,” mentioned Wu. “As a longtime friend and advisor, Kairos brings an unparalleled knowledge and expertise of this work and our communities. ”
The brand new division was created by a mayoral ordinance that was accredited by the Metropolis Council in late March, however the adjustments — transferring employees and capabilities together with some land and cash from the Boston Planning and Growth Company — didn’t take impact till the beginning of fiscal yr 2025.
Many of the BPDA’s employees have transitioned into jobs with the Metropolis of Boston and are thought of to be staff of the brand new Planning Division.
Shen mentioned he’s “excited to return to City Hall with a fresh perspective after a decade of teaching, research, and mentoring the next generation of urban planners and designers” at MIT.
He’ll keep an affiliation with MIT whereas working for town, the mayor’s workplace added.
Shen labored in Metropolis Corridor in plenty of totally different roles in planning and design over the course of 20 years underneath Mayor Thomas Menino and Mayor Martin Walsh.
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