Daniel L. Doctoroff served as New York City's Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding between 2002 and 2007. In that critical time, he oversaw one of the most profound overhauls of the city's environment in its history.

For lovers of New York City, this book tells the stories of some of the city's most transformative projects in a generation, many told for the first time, including new maps and diagrams created especially for this book. It provides behind-the-scenes accounts of significant projects such as Brooklyn Bridge Park, the High Line, Million Trees NYC, the development of PlaNYC's blueprint for urban sustainability, the rebuilding of Ground Zero, the Lower Manhattan Vision Plan, and contributors include government insiders, journalists, academics, athletes, architects, and filmmakers, including Hillary Clinton, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Elizabeth Diller, and Doctoroff himself.

The Urbanist presents the story of Doctoroff's legacy, which includes creating new economic hubs in all five boroughs, reclaiming the waterfront with a series of iconic parks, supporting new museums and cultural institutions, and reshaping the city's transportation network.