I am a New Yorker, born and raised. New York City is the Living New Deal. Most of my life was lived around something built by WPA. As a child I didn’t think of the New Deal as public policy, but as part of daily life. We lived on the Upper West Side, adjacent to Riverside Park (as WPA as you could get!) I attended PS 87, a New Deal elementary school. The subway that I used to get to school, the bridges, the tunnels— are the landmarks I most remember from my childhood. As a student of Urban Geography at the University of Chicago, I took an interest in the housing legislation of the 1930s, which were driven by the idea of providing housing for all. In many cases this led to big high rises—low income housing with good intentions, but not supportive of a good quality of life. This became a launch pad for me thinking about how Depression-era responses shaped the social aspects of cities, especially how to create environments that are humane for children and families. Cities are not particularly friendly to those who don’t have the means to explore them. For kids, that lack of mobility can impact their entire lives. The New Deal built libraries, parks, zoos, pools and playgrounds—public spaces that improve urban quality of life. I am pleased to be supporting the 50 volunteer National Associates documenting and cataloging the range and breadth of New Deal projects all around the country. My role is to bring cohesion to this dedicated group. We couldn’t do what we do without them.