In 2008, after holding several positions in design publishing and communications in both Rotterdam and New York, David van der Leer shifted gears, becoming the first member of the Guggenheim Museum’s architecture and urban studies–focused curatorial team. At the Guggenheim, van der Leer steered the museum on a course of public outreach on city-related issues, including the BMW Guggenheim Lab, the recently concluded project in which experts and residents in New York, Berlin, and Mumbai discussed life in their cities.

Last year, van der Leer took the reins of the Van Alen Institute as its executive director. The New York–based organization holds competitions, mounts exhibitions and other public programs, and conducts research to shape conversations about the built environment and introduce high-quality design solutions to cities around the world. Already the organization has announced a new storefront design and a multiyear series of programs, research, and competitions focused on the role of escape in the urban landscape. RECORD spoke with van der Leer about his plans.