20 years, 20 champions. Each instrumental in Design Trust's lasting impact on NYC's public realm. Each another journey.

Hear each champion's story, one every day here on our blog, culminating with a grand celebration on October 14, at Christie's. While enjoying a festive evening of music by AndrewAndrew, cocktails by Templeton Rye, custom photo shoots, hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction of art and design objects, you'll also meet the 20/20 Public Space Champions in person.

Join us to celebrate our champions, who have tirelessly been working to improve the daily lives of New Yorkers for two decades. Jumpstart the next 20 years of urban innovation by buying a ticket to the gala today.

...

Twenty years ago, when the Design Trust was just founded, its first task in hand was to transform the Brooklyn Public Libraries into thriving communal spaces with the maximum level of access and efficiency. To tackle this complex design challenge, Design Trust launched its unique fellowship model.

There was a talented designer that fit the bill perfectly: Louise Harpman.

Working in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library and the NYC Department of Design & Construction, Louise led a series of interagency, participatory workshops to research the most innovative and up-to-date thinking on library design.

After a year long-study, we published Louise's findings in 1996. Since the release of the Brooklyn Public Library Design Guidelines, thirty-five of the existing fifty-eight libraries in Brooklyn have been renovated to expand communal spaces; eight branches now have additional reading rooms and gardens with new furniture; and eight have designated technology areas with publicly accessible computer stations.

Louise set the bar high for the 82 Design Trust Fellows who followed her footsteps over the last two decades to improve the daily life of New Yorkers.

Picked through a competitive selection process, the Design Trust Fellows are top professionals from the private-sector who collaboratively lead the research, design and planning work for our projects. Each fellow comes from a different field of expertise unique to the needs of each project.

Let's start with a fill-in-the-blank question. Public space is vital because…?

Louise: Public space is where a city can show its best self!

What is a city's best self?

Louise: Its commitment to design and innovation, its ongoing dialogues with many publics, its promotion of civic engagement, and where random acts of kindness and wonder happen.

You're Design Trust's first Fellow in history. We're celebrating the 20th anniversary of your fellowship! Tell us what happened since then.

Louise: In 1995, the same year that I was awarded the first Design Trust fellowship, I began my teaching career in the graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania. It was an addition to my design practice as a founding principal at Specht Harpman. Since that time, I've maintained a commitment to both teaching and practice and this fall marks my 20th consecutive year of leading a 'double life'.

I've held a number of academic positions including studio critic, studio coordinator, admissions chair, and Associate Dean at universities such as Yale, the University of Texas at Austin, and, since 2010, New York University where I'm a tenured member of the faculty at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

What are you currently up to?

With two Gallatin colleagues, I'm a founding member of Global Design NYU and an author of Global Design: Elsewhere Envisioned (Prestel, 2014), a showcase of design research as it relates to visionary architecture, landscape architecture, urbanism, and ecological planning. 

Since its inception, Global Design NYU has organized architectural exhibits and symposia in New York and London, and has partnered with a wide range of cultural organizations including New London Architecture, London’s Building Centre, the Goethe Institute, and Parsons the New School. Future Global Design NYU design events are planned for New York, Prague, Berlin, and Buenos Aires.