BOSTON–The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) Board has named Lauren Shurtleff as the agency’s Director of Planning.
Shurtleff, a resident of East Boston, is the current Deputy Director for Downtown & Neighborhood Planning and has served as Interim Director of Planning since February 2019. She will oversee the 29 full-scale and smaller-scale planning studies currently underway, each guided by Imagine Boston 2030, the first city-wide master plan in 50 years.
“Through collaboration across city departments and alongside the residents of Boston, we are doing more community-based planning now than we have historically ever done in order to execute the shared goals outlined in Imagine Boston 2030,” said Mayor Walsh. “I’m pleased to welcome Lauren Shurtleff as the BPDA’s Director of Planning, and I am confident she will bring her knowledge and experience to help us reach this shared vision for the future of Boston.”
“Throughout our time together at the BPDA, Lauren has shown to be a proven leader and dedicated public servant among her colleagues, the Planning Division, and the agency as a whole,” said BPDA Director Brian Golden. “Lauren has helped expand our community engagement team and find new, innovative ways to meet our residents where they are. I look forward to continuing to work closely with her in her new role.”
Shurtleff has been with the BPDA’s Planning Division since 2007. Throughout her tenure at the agency, Shurtleff has worked on a number of planning initiatives and projects, among which include the air rights planning for both the Central Artery/Rose Kennedy Greenway and the Massachusetts Turnpike, the Christian Science Plaza Master Plan, and the 115 Winthrop Square disposition process. She holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College.
“I am honored and excited to be given the opportunity to continue to lead an amazing team that I have the utmost respect for. Each and every one of our Planning Division staff members cares deeply about the future of this city, as I have for the past 13 years of my career at the BPDA,” said BPDA Director of Planning Lauren Shurtleff. “I am thrilled to help guide the City of Boston forward into a more equitable, resilient and inclusive future, and look forward to continuing to work with our constituents to achieve these goals.”
