Warren L. Burgess papers

Warren L. Burgess was born in Georgia, December 29, 1948, and died in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 10, 2005.

For 21 years, Warren L. Burgess worked as the Principal Urban Designer for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, managing many large projects across the city. He deeply influenced the way places and spaces are designed, by emphasizing pedestrian-oriented site planning, and by creating Charlotte’s first urban-oriented zoning district. He also directed many urban design initiatives in the city, including the Third Ward Land Use and Urban Design Plan and Gateway Village, the Central Avenue streetscape plan, and the North Davidson area plan (NODA). In 2000, Burgess moved to Davidson where he served as the town's Planning Director for the next five years. Mr. Burgess planned for transportation efforts that would integrate pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles in an effort to save the existing character of Davidson’s neighborhoods. In retirement, Mr. Burgess continued his work by taking a position with Neighboring Concepts, a Charlotte-based architecture and planning firm.

A tireless advocate of neighborhood planning and good urban design, Mr. Burgess was passionate about creating infrastructure that would connect people and celebrate the human spirit. People responded instinctively to his kindness, generosity, vision, and integrity. He understood that a city is defined by its people and, in this spirit, would talk to property owners on their own terms, in their own spaces, and on their own time schedules in order to better incorporate their ideas into his neighborhood designs. Mr. Burgess' dedication and unwillingness to buckle under political pressure allowed numerous neighborhood plans to be completed that emphasized neighborhood preservation and exceptional urban/landscape design instead of more standard designs.

In addition to completing numerous projects throughout his career, Mr. Burgess was also a well-regarded artist, whose renderings gave vision to his planning ideas and design concepts. He used his artistic talents to translate his visions for a neighborhood’s future into simple, understandable images, which proved invaluable for residents, colleagues, and elected officials. His passion for the planning profession, generosity with his time, and his desire to share his knowledge made him a gifted teacher, mentor, and an inspiration for many young and prospective planners.

Source: Carolina Planning, volume 32, number 2 (Spring 2007), 3-4.