East Village and Special Projects Director
Juan Rivero joined Village Preservation in April 2021 as East Village and Special Projects Director. Juan is an urban planner, researcher, and community advocate with experience in government, academia, and not-for-profits. He serves on the executive board of the City Club of New York and has taught courses on urban revitalization, public space, and planning theory and history at Rutgers University, Barnard College, and NYU. Much of his research and advocacy has dealt with questions surrounding heritage preservation. Juan served as the spokesman and co-director for Save Coney Island, a community-based group, formed in response to a redevelopment plan by the City, with the goal of preserving the historic features, structures, and functions of that neighborhood as an iconic, affordable amusement destination. His writing about that redevelopment process has been published in numerous academic journals. He is currently working on a book about that project and the debates that surrounded it. Juan holds a Ph.D. in Planning and Public Policy from Rutgers University, an M.S. in City Planning from Columbia University, a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, and a B.A. in English from Haverford College.
