Wu Names New Chief Of Planning
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has named a new chief of planning following Arthur Jemison's departure.
The mayor appointed Kairos Shen, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who previously spent two decades working for the city, to lead the Boston Planning Department, she announced Tuesday evening.
The BPD was created by Wu earlier this year to continue streamlining and modernizing the zoning and planning processes after dissolving the Boston Planning & Development Agency.
Shen worked for the city over the course of two decades under mayors Thomas Menino and Marty Walsh between 1993 and 2015, a pivotal time for Boston's real estate sector that included the creation of the Seaport.
“I’m 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,” Shen said in a statement.
“Boston is a different City than it was ten years ago, and I’m inspired by the incredible strides Mayor Wu has taken in just two and a half years," he added. "I’m looking forward to advancing the significant work that has already begun including zoning reform and making development review more predictable and transparent.”
Shen will transition into the role in early October and serve as chief of planning starting Oct. 15.
Jemison, who became Boston's planning head in 2022, announced his departure in August to be closer to family in Michigan. Devin Quirk has acted as interim chief of planning since Jemison stepped down on Sept. 13.
Jemison helped lead the transition of the former Boston Planning & Development Agency into a city planning department. Shen plans to continue modernizing the city's zoning code and create consistency throughout the process.
At MIT, Shen teaches "City Making" for the school's Center for Real Estate. He was also the center's executive director from 2020 to 2024. He will keep his teaching position.
Shen has also served as a member of the Article 80 Modernization Steering Committee.
