The
Design Trust partnered with the Art Commission
of the City of New York — an
aesthetic board appointed by the Mayor
to review the design of art, landscape,
and architecture on City-owned land — to
carry out an in-depth examination of security
and public space design.
Over the last decade,
the Art Commission has witnessed a general
hardening of the public realm (most egregiously,
through the proliferation of prison-like
design "add-ons")
which compromises the aesthetic quality
of our public spaces and contributes
to an atmosphere of uneasiness. Using
its position as public advocate for quality
design and its City-wide scope, the Art
Commission has a unique ability to respond
to the negative impact that the ever-expanding
security measures have on the quality
of New York City's public spaces.
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Design
Trust fellow Elizabeth Kennedy led the
Commission in a year-long educational process,
including extensive research, participatory
workshops, and interviews that resulted
in the publication of an illustrated set
of design guidelines, Designing
for Security,
in Summer 2002. Written by James Russell,
these guidelines will help the Art Commission
advocate for change in the way security
concerns are addressed in the design of
public architecture.
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