PROJECTS

The Design Trust selects research and design projects from across the five boroughs through an open Request for Proposals (RFP) process approximately every 18 months. The last deadline was May 1, 2009.

These projects are at the earliest stage, when targeted expertise can transform critical policy and development decisions. Sponsored projects receive project planning and management, ongoing advocacy efforts and funding.

The Results of Our Projects

Most Design Trust projects result in a publication of findings intended to influence design practice or public policy. Projects may also culminate in an exhibit, a conference, or other public event. Projects have produced built work, but only as a demonstration or pilot of more widely applicable design goals. In the broadest sense, the outcome of all of our projects is a positive shift in the way New York's public space is created, designed, managed, or used.

Five Borough Farm
Creating the nation's first citywide plan for urban agriculture

Made in Midtown
Recommending place-based strategies to strengthen creative industries in New York City

Intersections: Grand Concourse Beyond 100
Envisioning the future of the Bronx and its grandest boulevard

Photo Urbanism 5:
Same Time Every Day
Revealing moments of grace by documenting five distinct locations at the same time, every day

Park Design for the 21st Century
Creating a set of sustainable guidelines for New York City's 29,000 acres of parkland

Reinventing Grand Army Plaza
Generating new visions to transform this majestic Brooklyn crossroads

Five Borough Farm (2009)
Creating the nation's first citywide plan for urban agriculture

Made in Midtown (2009)
Recommending place-based strategies to strengthen creative industries in New York City

Photo Urbanism 5: Same Time Every Day (2009) | Revealing moments of grace by documenting five distinct locations at the same time every day

Intersections: Grand Concourse Beyond 100 (2008) | Envisioning the future of the Bronx and its grandest boulevard

Park Design for the 21st Century (2008) | Creating a set of sustainable guidelines for New York City's 29,000 acres of parkland

Reinventing Grand Army Plaza (2008) | Generating new visions to transform this majestic Brooklyn crossroads

Photo Urbanism 4: Out My Window (2007) | Depicting the evolving New York City landscape from the windows of private homes

Taxi 07 (2006) | Celebrating 100 years of the NYC cab through design innovation and long-term planning

Photo Urbanism 3: Jamaica Bay (2006) | Documenting the communities and natural beauty of Jamaica Bay

Designing the Taxi (2005)
Rethinking New York City's moveable public space on the eve of its centennial

Sustainable New York City (2005) | Making the case for environmental sustainability in everyday municipal operations

Photo Urbanism 2: The Bridge Project (2004) | Documenting the impact of bridges on neighborhood life

Greening Infrastructure in the Public Right-of-Way (2003)
Setting new standards for environmental responsibility in street construction

Long Island City: Connecting the Arts (2003) | Creating an identity for a vibrant arts and industrial community

Times Square: Streetscape Improvement (2003) | Making the "crossroads of the world" pedestrian-friendly

Photo Urbanism 1: The Edge of New York (2002) | Archiving the transforming waterfront

Reconstruction Report (2002)
Capturing a public record of the lower Manhattan rebuilding effort

Thresholds of Eibs Pond Park 2 (2002) | Producing a prototype for ecological restoration through park design

Reclaiming the High Line (2001) | Paving the way for New York's most exciting new park

Thresholds of Eibs Pond Park 1 (2001) | Engaging the community in ecological restoration

Achieving a Balance: Housing and Open Space in Bronx Community Board 3 (1999)
Meeting the parallel needs for housing and open space in the Bronx