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Whether it’s Bryant Park, Grand Central Station, the Chelsea district or 34th Street, the Chappaqua resident who grew up in Scarsdale, has left his vision and imprint all over New York City as well as around the country.
Biederman, one of the country’s leading urban parks and streetscape planners and designers, is the president of Manhattan-based Biederman Redevelopment Ventures Corporation (BRV) which helped lead the charge in transforming such public spaces like Bryant Park, New York's Southwest Chelsea district, Grand Central Station, The Boston Common, Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and dozens of other venues in the U.S.
What makes his projects -- and his firm unique -- is that he partners with cities to build and fix parks, public outdoor areas and streetscapes via private corporate funding… not city, state or taxpayer money.
The company also helps cities organize Business Improvement Districts to improve, manage and transform blighted areas into attractive, desirable destinations where businesses can locate and thrive.
Westchester, he said, helps provide a lot of his inspiration. "Growing up and living now in small towns in Westchester was actually helpful in creating a small town environment in Bryant Park, which is partly modeled on the classic American town square."
In his opinion, suburban backyards, much critiqued by urbanism intelligentsia, also can, looked at the right way, be an inspiration for great small urban parks.
"In our parks in Manhattan, Newark, Dallas, Portland, and Pittsburgh, the theory is that those with limited resources can benefit from the same flower beds and top-notch design as the wealthiest residents of Bronxville and Armonk," he explained.
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