mr. burney is the first architect to have served as commissioner of the department of design and construction ("ddc"), from 2004 to 2014, the entity charged with managing capital projects for multiple city agencies, including the nyc departments of transportation and environmental protection, and borough-wide cultural institutions, such as libraries, courthouses, fire stations, and police precincts, and museums. appointed by then-mayor michael bloomberg, mr. burney launched a city-wide initiative in 2006, the "design + construction excellence ("d+ce")," to raise the quality of design and construction of public realm projects throughout new york city. to accomplish the goal, mr. burney innovated a new peer review process, and of his accomplishments, his colleagues have said that he ""...changed many places from an eyesore to something that residents can be proud of."" he authored a book about civic building and infrastructure works achieved under his leadership at ddc, "we build the city: new york city's design + construction excellence program,"(2014), which includes a foreword by mayor bloomberg.