Design Trust for Public Space’s Executive Director Matthew Clarke Speaks Out in Support of MTA Congestion Pricing Plan:

“We already know the positive effects of congestion pricing. Cities around the world have used programs like these to improve the quality of life for residents by confronting traffic, upgrading public transportation, and boosting air quality. In New York City, there is too much at stake to not act."

Grab a set of headphones and get ready to dance at this silent disco at the 125th Street & Park Avenue underpass in Harlem. You’ll hear original, commissioned sonic soundscapes from five artists that’ll be incorporated into a three-hour mix session by DJ Stormin’ Norman. When you need a break from the dancefloor, take a moment to have your picture taken by a pro photographer as part of a portrait photography series.

The event is led by the National Black Theatre with Uptown Grand Central. It's a part of the Turnout NYC initiative, a project of the Design Trust for Public Space and SITU. It's all about creating equitable arts access across the five boroughs.

Competing against more than 200 applicants across the five boroughs, the Bronx’s Angela’s Cuisine, Angiolina’s Restaurant and Bianka Cypriano of Salsa Stories were three of the 12 winners to each receive a one-time grant of $10,000 from Alfresco NYC.

Made up of Design Trust for Public Space, Regional Plan Association (RPA) and Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC), Alfresco NYC is a coalition which supports the Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs in an effort to continue to provide outdoor dining and cultural programming.

The National Black Theatre has announced the start of its new 55th season programming with a free public program, Learn to Love Yourself Saturdays: Silent Disco & Portrait Series in partnership with Turnout NYC and Uptown Grand Central.

Turnout NYC is being led by Design Trust for Public Space, a nonprofit organization dedicated to activating and transforming shared public spaces to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable city, and SITU, an architectural practice centered on social and creative impact. Guided by an Advisory Committee of NYC cultural leaders, the venture designs and prototypes flexible and semi-permanent outdoor venues-one in each borough- in collaboration with cultural partners from within each community.

“Congratulations to these business owners and community leaders that represent the best of New York’s vibrant neighborhoods and thriving street life,” said Matthew Clarke, executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space. “Open Restaurants and Streets are just the beginning of a new approach to public space. These programs not only play a critical role in the city’s character and energy, but also its long-term health and economic stability .”

Alfresco NYC – a coalition led by Design Trust for Public Space, Regional Plan Association (RPA), and Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) – on Monday announced twelve grant winners for exemplary outdoor dining structures and Open Streets across New York City’s five boroughs.

Three organizations from Brooklyn– caribBEING, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership and Red Hook Initiative— were chosen amongst the winners for their efforts to create vibrant street life in neighborhoods hard-hit by the pandemic.

"In a recent phone interview, the arts lover told QNS he was honored that his photos were chosen for the “What’s up, Jamaica!” installation — sponsored by the nonprofit Design Trust for Public Space — located in downtown Jamaica.

As ongoing revitalization efforts in that area continue to expand with public arts events and more, the recent unveiling of Valentine’s exhibit, which is currently on display, kicked off the eagerly anticipated, family-friendly, annual Jamaica Arts Music Summer Festival (JAMS) set for Saturday, Aug. 6, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The artist said that he hoped folks would find his photographs of previous JAMS Fests over the last 15 years inspiring.

The Queensboro Dance Festival was chosen by Turnout NYC, a community-oriented initiative to give local arts organizations and artists the ability to transform public spaces citywide, to be their Queens-based partner with Travers Park as the location.

Design Trust Testifies to New York City Council on Public Space Management Oversights

Statement from the Design Trust for Public Space’s Executive Director Matthew Clarke

New York, NY, — The New York City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing earlier this month on new legislation that would improve the management of the city’s public spaces. Design Trust Executive Director Matthew Clarke testified in support of critical bills under consideration, including the implementation of an Open Spaces program and citywide greenway master plan. Below is his full statement:

“Thank you to Chair Brooks-Powers and the Committee for having me today. My name is Matthew Clarke and I serve as the Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space. Our organization has spent the past 27 years unlocking the potential of New York’s public space. 

I’m testifying today to support public space and the three bills under consideration. However, my primary message to this Committee, and to the council at large, regards the context in which these programs can be successful.

Over the past two years, we have worked with hundreds of organizations, from large BIDS (Business Improvement Districts) to small place-based advocates, with thousands of individuals, and with many of you, on projects that reframe what public space means to New Yorkers For example, with Neighborhood Commons, we worked with Small Business Services to identify a new way to manage and support commercial corridors and public space that don't have the benefit of a BID. With Turnout NYC, we’re testing a new model of public space arts infrastructure that puts power in place, particularly BIPOC and historically marginalized communities. And with Alfresco NYC, we’re working to imagine the long-term development of Open Restaurants in New York City.

These efforts have made two points abundantly clear: We are meeting a generational moment to rethink how public space can serve every New Yorker, and that our government is not yet structured to take advantage of this opportunity.

New York needs a centralized voice to address public space management with three critical capacities:

1. Being able to vision, plan, and coordinate our parks, streets, plazas, and corridors, and to understand how those projects intersect with each other.

2. Providing a clear and inclusive regulatory process, such that non-governmental entities have centralized and simple procedures for permitting and licensing.

3. Directing existing and future resources, like grants and maintenance, in a coordinated and equitable way, to small businesses, CBOs, and other public space managers.

Design Trust recommends that the Interagency Public Space Working Group be strengthened to serve as a forum to design a long-term, more formal structure to address these capacities. In support of these Bills, Design Trust wants to support public space as a leading cause for New York City. Thank you.”

Neighborhood Commons Launches Watkins Public Space in Brownsville with Local Vendors, Music, Food,  Public Art, and More

The space will be open throughout the week through July as a pilot project for the Neighborhood Commons Toolkit of  Policy Recommendations Supporting Public Spaces in Commercial Corridors 

Brooklyn, NY  – Tuesday June 21st, the Design Trust for Public Space is partnering with I AM CaribBEING and the Brownsville Community Justice Center to launch the Watkins Plaza Public Space, a new space that is part of the Neighborhood Commons initiative, bringing  local makers and vendors to Brownsville this Summer. Lookout for I AM CaribBEING’'s iconic yellow shipping-container-turned-local-shop, murals, food, performances, and more

WHAT:  Watkins Public Space Launch Party 

WHO: Local Vendors, Community Artists, Brownsville Community Members, Design Trust for Public Space, I AM caribBEING, and the Brownsville Community Justice Center.

WHEN:  Tuesday, June 21st 12-6pm and open throughout the week until the end of July.

WHERE: Watkins Street & Belmont Avenue in Brownsville

This space is a pilot project for the Neighborhood Commons policy toolkit of recommendations aimed at supporting public spaces in commercial corridors. Supported by a Strategic Impact Grant provided by the NYC Department of Small Business Services, Neighborhood Commons: Reimagining Public Space Governance and Programming in Commercial Districts, lists recommendations on ways the City of New York can reshape its approach to the management of public spaces located in the right-of-way, and how different models of local governance, stewardship, and service delivery can impact the economic resilience of small businesses. Please contact Alexa Mauzy-Lewis (amauzy@designtrust.org) to coordinate an interview with Neighborhood Commons Spokespeople.

With grants up to $10,000 available for NYC’s street life, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 24th

New York, NY, June 7, 2022 – The Alfresco NYC coalition, led by the Design Trust for Public Space, Regional Plan Association, and Tri-State Transportation Campaign, has announced a new one-time small grants program to support the Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs and fund businesses and community groups in neighborhoods hard-hit by the pandemic. 

Funding is reserved for projects and programs impacting streets and sidewalks. Small businesses, nonprofits and community groups engaging (or planning to) in the Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs are eligible to apply. Grants can range from a few hundred dollars to $10,000. 

View the Application Here

To learn more about qualifications, interested applicants can visit the Alfresco NYC website or find us on social media for guidance or reach out to nycalfresco@gmail.com with any questions.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through Friday, June 24th. 

“As the pandemic continues to challenge New York’s vibrant neighborhoods, our communities have creatively reimagined the potential of public space to not only recover, but thrive,” said Matthew Clarke, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space. “Outdoor dining and open streets are important tools for community growth, this program aims to support equitable access to this resource.”

"70% of our city streets are devoted to cars, but our recent survey says residents want the opposite: with 70% of shared space for bikes, buses, pedestrians, and other non-car uses," said Maulin Mehta, New York Director, Regional Plan Association. "Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs bring NYC closer to this reality but require investments to be successful and RPA is pleased to help provide more equitable access to funding for the neighborhoods that need it the most."

“Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs have fundamentally changed our City’s landscape, especially with regard to the allocation of public space. These programs have empowered New Yorkers to enliven their neighborhoods by creating shared spaces with parklets, art, cultural, fitness, and educational programming that brings community together,” said Renae Reynolds, Executive Director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "We are pleased to be able to support the City’s small businesses and neighborhoods, especially in areas hard hit by COVID, by providing this grant opportunity.”

As open streets and open restaurants become permanent in New York City, Alfresco NYC launched the 2021 Alfresco Awards to recognize the city’s best outdoor dining spaces and open streets, and celebrate street life across the five boroughs.

Over the past year, Alfresco NYC  has led a series of roundtable conversations with stakeholders including open street operators, restaurant owners, designers, volunteers, accessibility and mobility advocates to work through the design challenges and opportunities associated with New York City’s Open Restaurants and Open Streets program. Through these roundtables, the coalition is now compiling and reviewing design and policy recommendations to ensure the programs are equitable and successful. The recommendations will be published later this summer.  This one-time grant program is available thanks to the generous support of The New York Community Trust and the Association for a Better New York, working to help support our coalition, and small businesses and communities recover while investing in the public realm.

“The ABNY Foundation is proud to support the Alfresco NYC Coalition,” said  Melva Miller, the Association for a Better New York's first Chief Executive Officer. “As we think about the economic recovery for New York's people, communities, and businesses, this initiative brings together all three components to reimagine and revitalize public spaces equitably and sustainably.”

“The Big Apple’s streetscape was already evolving before the pandemic in response to congestion, pedestrian safety, and bike-friendly policies,” said Arturo Garcia-Costas, Program Officer for the Environment at the New York Community Trust. ”The Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs really kicked things into high gear. The al fresco dining that took root across the five boroughs helped the City weather a difficult time, and now, with the right policies and support, it can help usher in a vibrant, lasting, and equitable economic recovery.”

Alfresco spokespeople are available for further comment. Please contact Alexa Mauzy-Lewis (amauzy@designtrust.org) to coordinate.

"Brooklyn-based architectural design practice SITU and the Design Trust for Public Space have announced the launch of Turnout NYC, a community-oriented initiative that aims to transform underutilized spaces into vibrant and accessible venues for arts and culture, while highlighting underrepresented New York City-based artists."

Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch Unveils New Exhibition: “Holding Court” Portrait Series by Barnabas Crosby

Using a handball court as a studio, “Holding Court” re-imagines Black entrepreneurship and community spaces

Brooklyn, NY  –  Holding Court: A Portrait Series by Barnabas Crosby is on view at Brooklyn Public Library Central from 5/1 through 5/29. In celebration of Holding Court's opening week, Barnabas Crosby will be available to talk about his work and the inspiration behind the exhibition. Stop by the library on May 4th from 5 - 6:30 pm to view the exhibition and meet the artist.

Barnabas Crosby's "Holding Court" is a portrait series about the “re-imagination” of Black entrepreneurship and community spaces. Limited by costs and social distancing requirements, COVID-19 proposed a challenge to Barnabas and fellow business owners. In response to this challenge, many entrepreneurs created innovative uses of public space to continue operating their businesses and serve their communities. Over the course of six months, Barnabas repurposed his neighborhood handball court as a photography studio. He invited local business owners to sit and join him in this exercise of “re-imagination.” The images in the series portray Black entrepreneurs with the intention of making room for play through reimagined settings and reimagined identities. Holding Court is a depiction of the resilience and ingenuity of entrepreneurs and the power of public space. Part of the exhibition was showcased in Times Square Over New Year’s Eve 2022 on the NASDAQ building. See a preview of the series here.

WHAT: Holding Court: A Portrait Series by Barnabas Crosby. 

WHO: The Design Trust for Public Space Photo Urbanism Fellow Barnabas Crosby and BPL Presents

WHEN:  On View 5/1-5/29 |  FREE Meet The Artist &  Exhibition Opening on 5/4 5-6:30pm 

WHERE: Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch | 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238

The artist is available for further comment. Please contact Alexa Mauzy-Lewis (amauzy@designtrust.org) to coordinate an interview. 

Founded in 2001, the Design Trust for Public Space Photo Urbanism program offers fellowships to local photographers to create a new body of work illuminating the public spaces of NYC. The photographer’s artistic vision brings a new perspective, informing and illuminating the potential of our city’s undiscovered and under-used public spaces. This year’s Photo Urbanism fellow, Barnabas Crosby, is documenting how small businesses are leveraging and using public spaces in new and innovative ways. This Photo Urbanism project is funded by NYC DCLA, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Learn more at photourbanism.org.

“We really see this as a way to reach communities that don't have a large performing arts center, or not as many,” said Matthew Clarke, the executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space, “to allow particularly small- and medium- size organizations and artists to perform in a much more ad hoc way—to be able to meet the public more flexibly, to take risks in a way that couldn't be done otherwise—and to just invest more in the arts.”

Turnout NYC Pilots New Venues for Equitable Arts Access Across New York City 

Led by the Design Trust for Public Space and SITU, supported by a $2-Million Grant from the Mellon Foundation.

New York, NY, May 2, 2022 – The Design Trust for Public Space and SITU today announced the launch of Turnout NYC, a community-oriented initiative that will provide infrastructure support for New York City-based arts and cultural organizations while expanding access to the arts across the city. Supported by a $2-million grant from the Mellon Foundation, the venture aims to help small arts organizations produce public programming despite the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. It will feature flexible and semi-permanent outdoor venues—one in each borough—in collaboration with cultural partners from within each community. This two-step approach will give arts organizations and artists greater agency in defining programming and activating public spaces in neighborhoods city-wide.

By hosting 150-200 events and featuring up to 1,500 artists from throughout the city upon the completion of its 2022 season, Turnout NYC will affect long-term change and advance a new model of community-driven cultural production. Programming will be continuously announced and updated at www.turnoutnyc.org.

Beyond hosting a summer of creative events for New Yorkers, the five sites will support equitable access to the arts and provide infrastructure for artists, especially Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, and other historically marginalized peoples. The initiative will purposefully seek to advance these venues as part of a larger effort to distribute open-source design knowledge, encourage structural changes in the city’s cultural policies, and to build a connected cohort of emerging arts and design professionals.

Turnout NYC is being led by Design Trust for Public Space, a nonprofit organization dedicated to activating and transforming shared public spaces to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable city, and SITU, an architectural practice centered on social and creative impact. 

“Prior to the pandemic, people living in vulnerable areas already had limited access to cultural opportunities. Today, those scarce opportunities are at a higher risk of disappearing,” said Matthew Clarke, Design Trust for Public Space Executive Director. “Building on Design Trust’s experience in activating and transforming underutilized public space throughout the five boroughs, Turnout NYC will create a replicable strategy for place-based interventions that advance equitable access to the arts.”

 “This initiative demonstrates how, in being flexible and creative in how we think about traditional performance venues, we can design our public spaces in ways that enrich New York City’s artistic and cultural life, across all neighborhoods,” said Basar Girit, Founding Partner at SITU.

Guided by an Advisory Committee of NYC cultural leaders, such as National Black Theatre CEO Sade Lythcott, Performer Alphonse Gonzales, Queens Theatre Executive Director Taryn Sacramone, Poet Shanelle Gabriel, and other New York based creatives, Turnout NYC recognizes that arts organizations and artists, outside of Midtown-Manhattan cultural districts, are critical anchors in the city’s recovery and long-term health. In each borough, Turnout NYC will engage a local Community Cultural Partner, connect local cultural and artistic practices to create place-based interventions and performances, host design workshops and trainings, and lift up community networks. 

Partner Sites include:

• Brooklyn: Brownsville Community Justice Center with Artwell Creative 

• Queens: Queensboro Dance Festival

• Staten Island: Alice Austen House

• Manhattan: Uptown Grand Central with National Black Theatre

• Bronx: The Point Community Development Corporation 

“Turnout NYC centers community members in designing the spaces and opportunities that artists have to present their work,” said Taryn Sacramone, Queens Theatre Executive Director and NYC Cultural Institutions Group Chair. “Access to arts and culture is  critical for making the well-documented benefits of cultural experiences available for all. We are creating stronger infrastructure to expand the City’s rich arts ecosystem, empowering artists and opening new avenues for partnerships.

“Turnout NYC will enable hundreds of NYC-based artists to collaborate and co-design with their  communities,” said Emil J. Kang, Arts and Culture Program Director at the Mellon Foundation. “We are pleased to support this dynamic group of partners engaging in a process of true collaboration and deep listening in order to keep artists performing in their communities.” 

Turnout NYC cultural community partners and spokespeople are available for further comment. Please contact Alexa Mauzy-Lewis (amauzy@designtrust.org) to coordinate.

“[These] policy recommendations are coming at a crucial moment for decision-makers guiding the city’s recovery and long-term economic resilience,” Matthew Clarke, executive director of the Design Trust, said in a statement. “Public spaces and the small businesses that define them are critical for the livelihood of our neighborhoods. The Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated just how important it is to protect and uplift these spaces as community anchors. We can do so by lowering the barrier to access of public space programs and resources.”

From the Design Trust for Public Space supported by a grant from NYC Department of Small Business Services, the publication explores best policy practices for public space governance in under-resourced neighborhoods.

New York, NY, Thursday, April 28, 2022 – TODAY, The Design Trust for Public Space, released a new toolkit as part of their joint initiative,Neighborhood Commons: Plazas, Sidewalks, and Beyond, aimed to provide small business and place-based organizations with recovery tools and strategies to utilize public space.  The project was made possible through a Strategic Impact Grant provided by the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

Small businesses play a unique and central role in the livelihood of neighborhoods and public spaces. With the ongoing crisis hitting commercial corridors and main streets hard, NYC needs innovative strategies to reactivate the public realm. The publication, Neighborhood Commons: Reimagining Public Space Governance and Programming in Commercial Districts, lists recommendations on ways the City of New York can reshape its approach to the management of public spaces located in the right-of-way, and how different models of local governance, stewardship, and service delivery can impact the economic resilience of small businesses. 

As public spaces in commercial districts increasingly become important places to build place identity and share culture, the City will need to adapt its regulatory structures, programs, and policies to lower barriers to public participation in and management of the public realm, particularly in under-resourced neighborhoods. Recommendations include  an interagency working group to coordinate citywide policy, more accessible resources, and unified processes.

Two pilot projects are being developed to test out these recommendations. The first is being developed with CaribBEING and the Brownsville Community Justice Center to test concessions on an open street, and the second will consist of a photo exhibition in Jamaica to test coalition building with local cultural organizations.

“Neighborhood Commons’ policy recommendations are coming at a crucial moment for decision-makers guiding the city’s recovery and long-term economic resilience,” said Matthew Clarke, Executive Director of the Design Trust. “Public spaces and the small businesses that define them are critical for the livelihood of our neighborhoods. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated just how important it is to protect and uplift these spaces as community anchors. We can do so by lowering the barrier to access of public space programs and resources”

"SBS is proud to support organizations dedicated to pushing our city's recovery and enlivening our public spaces," said Kevin D. Kim, Commissioner of NYC Department of Small Business Services. "Our public spaces have allowed thousands of small businesses to stay afloat across the five boroughs and investing in them is key to ensuring our City's vitality for generations to come." 

Read the Full Publication at neighborhoodcommons.nyc

Neighborhood Commons spokespeople are available for further comment. Please contact Alexa Mauzy-Lewis (amauzy@designtrust.org) to coordinate an interview.

NYC Public Space Advocates Respond to Mayor Adams’ Economic Recovery Plan

Statement from the Design Trust for Public Space’s Executive Director Matthew Clarke

New York, NY, — New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office released “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” which outlines the Mayor’s vision for the city’s economic recovery. Design Trust Executive Director Matthew Clarke issued the following statement in response:

“Small businesses play a unique and critical role in the livelihood of our neighborhoods and public spaces. The pandemic has further illuminated just how important it is to protect and uplift these spaces as community cornerstones. With the ongoing crisis hitting commercial corridors and main streets hard, we need innovative strategies to reactivate the public realm.

“We applaud Mayor Adams’ blueprint as an important first step to support NYC’s economic recovery and the businesses that anchor its communities, but will fight to make sure these benefits reach all New Yorkers. We agree with this plan’s recommendation that an interagency working group to coordinate citywide policy and program implementation in the public realm is long overdue. We have the opportunity to leverage public spaces in the right-of-way (e.g. pedestrian plazas, open streets, outdoor dining, street seats, sidewalk cafes, etc.) to support local economies in a way that is inclusive, equitable, and representative of the diversity of the city’s neighborhoods.

“That’s why we partnered with the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) in 2020to launchNeighborhood Commons, an initiative designed to help New York City activate its public spaces in commercial corridors to support long-term resilience and economic recovery. After researching and analyzing 10 - 15 case study neighborhoods, we will be publishing a toolkit and recommendations  next month on ways the City can reshape its approach to the management of these spaces.  Two pilot projects will be developed to test out these recommendations.

“We are eager to work with this administration and community groups to create better practices for public space stewardship and evolve the city's landscape to work for all New Yorkers.”

###

The Design Trust for Public Space is a nationally recognized incubator that catalyzes change and transforms New York City’s shared civic spaces—streets, plazas, parks, public buildings, transportation, and housing developments—to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable city. Established in 1995 by Andrea Woodner, the nonprofit brings design expertise and systems thinking to the public realm to make a lasting impact. Founded on the tenet that New York City’s cultural and democratic life depends on viable public space, the Design Trust focuses on social justice and equity, environmental sustainability, design excellence, and public engagement. Its innovative model brings together government agencies, community groups, and private-sector experts, utilizing cross-sector partnerships to deliver creative solutions that shape the city’s landscape.

Contact: Alexa Mauzy-Lewis

Design Trust for Public Space Communications Manager

amauzy@designtrust.org

The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of City Planning (DCP) are working alongside Alfresco NYC and a team of urban designers from different city agencies to help shape the new look

Winning Projects to be Implemented Collaboratively with Design Trust, Investigate How Public Space Can Better Serve All New Yorkers Including Neurodiverse and Homeless Populations 

New York, NY—September 27, 2021—The Design Trust for Public Space today announced the selection of two major public space projects to be implemented as part of The Restorative City: Building Community Wellness through Public Space. Launched as an open call for proposals in spring 2021, The Restorative City is a major Design Trust initiative dedicated to connecting health equity with the built environment throughout New York City. The winning projects were selected by a jury of city government officials and industry leaders from a short-list of eight finalists, drawn from an initial group of more than 90 proposals. They include: 

• The Neurodiverse City, a collaboration between Verona Carpenter Architects and WIP Collaborative with the support of Center for Independence of the Disabled-NY, Bronx Independent Living Services, INCLUDEnyc, and P.S. 42. The initiative advocates for public spaces in our city that offer inclusive zones where all of us, including those with “invisible disabilities” and snsory sensitives, can come together and find common ground. 

• Healing Hostile Architecture: Design as Care, led by Design as Protest, a collective of BIPOC designers and advocates. The initiative supports the development of community-driven design policies and new regenerative, design models to replace hostile environments and provide care for unhoused populations. 

Honorable mention was given to Forest Avenue COMEUnity Fridge Fellowship Program, which creates opportunities for local youth to support a mutual aid network targeting food insecurity through the transformation of an underutilized space in Staten Island. The winning projects are being recognized at a special ceremony held this evening, September 27, 2021, in Prospect Park. 

“We are proud to support the important work that will be accomplished through both of these visionary public space initiatives that seek to create a healthy, just, and equitable city,” said Matthew F. Clarke, Design Trust Executive Director. “Through their advocacy for strong communities, each project reflects the mission of Design Trust by promoting public space and the built environment as key determinants in what makes us healthy and happy.” 

The winning projects will leverage the Design Trust’s unique problem-seeking, power-sharing model of project delivery to bring about powerful, citywide change over the course of their development and realization. Next steps will include continued scoping, planning, and fundraising for each project facilitated by the Design Trust, as well as the appointment of Design Trust fellows with expertise in relevant areas to support each project. The Restorative City is the latest iteration of the organization’s triennial request for proposals (RFP), which over the past two decades have focused on such pressing issues as increasing accessibility to public space, developing connectivity and community through the built environment, and advancing urban agriculture. 

For more information on the Design Trust’s 2021 RFP, please visit www.restorativecity.com. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

About The Neurodiverse City 

The Neurodiverse City advocates for a built environment that supports the city’s entire population and the full range of their physical, neurological, and emotional needs—an issue that has taken on new urgency in the wake of the isolation and trauma of the pandemic. Recognizing the importance of access to public space to support physical and mental health, the initiative seeks to develop inclusive spaces through a three-phase, community-driven process, beginning with an audit of potential sites for spaces such as playgrounds, streetscapes, and pocket parks; the development of prototypes; and the proposal of recommendations, promoting dialogue about policy changes with key agencies and individuals. With nearly 1 in 5 New York City students diagnosed with a disability, 1 in 10 adults diagnosed with a cognitive disability, and many more going undiagnosed, access to resources and to welcoming and equitable public spaces becomes a critical factor in public health. 

The Neurodiverse City is spearheaded by Verona Carpenter Architects—a full-service, women-owned architecture and interiors firm whose work centers humanity, resilience, and inclusion in recognition of the neurodiverse world we live in—and WIP Collaborative, a shared feminist practice of independent design professionals focused on research and design projects that engage community and the public realm. Their work on this initiative will be supported by the Center for Independence of the Disabled-NY, Bronx Independent Living Services, Include NYC, and P.S. 42. 

About Healing Hostile Architecture 

Healing Hostile Architecture: Design as Care addresses the ongoing issue of hostile architecture within the urban landscape. Through mounted spikes, barred corners, surveillance, and pay-to-use public restrooms, urban design has long targeted the city’s homeless population as it created unwelcoming spaces for all New Yorkers. Through this initiative, Design as Protest posits another approach that ceases the use of hostile architecture and reclaims public space through anti-racist policy that imagines spaces of care, designed through community input and leadership. Healing Hostile Architecture will support the development of new design guidelines and policy measures that will abolish hostile architecture and promote investment in affordable housing and BIPOC cultural spaces. 

Design as Protest is a collective of BIPOC designers working to mobilize strategy to dismantle the privilege and power structures that use architecture and design as tools of oppression, and champion the radical vision of racial, social, and cultural reparation through the process and outcomes of design. Their work on Healing Hostile Architecture will be supported by a secondary partner to be selected at a later date. 

About The Restorative City and Jury List 

Part of the Design Trust’s triennial request for proposals, The Restorative City: Building Community Wellness through Public Space marks a call to action to urban planning, design, and public policy professionals to support health equity from within public space and the built environment. Announced in April 2021, with a call for letters of interest, the Design Trust selected a finalist group of eight leading projects from over 90 proposals submitted. The following leaders participated as jury members working in collaboration with the Design Trust team in the selection of the winning projects: 

• Michael Blaise Backer, Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Small Business Services 
• Arturo Garcia-Costas, Environmental Program Officer, New York Community Trust 
• Claudie Mabry, Strategist and Consultant, Independent 
• Mary Miss, Founder & Artistic Director, City as Living Laboratory 
• Suzanne Nienaber, Partnerships Director, Center for Active Design 
• Delma Palma, Deputy Director, New York City Housing Authority 
• Jose Serrano-McClain, Principal, HR&A 
• Laura Starr, Principal, Landscape Architect 
• Chat Travieso, Artist and Past Design Trust Fellow 

About the Design Trust for Public Space 

The Design Trust for Public Space is a nationally recognized incubator that catalyzes change and transforms New York City’s shared civic spaces—streets, plazas, parks, public buildings, transportation, and housing developments—to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable city. Established in 1995 by Andrea Woodner, the nonprofit brings design expertise and systems thinking to the public realm to make a lasting impact. Founded on the tenet that New York City’s cultural and democratic life depends on viable public space, the Design Trust focuses on social justice and equity, environmental sustainability, design excellence, and public engagement. Its innovative model brings together government agencies, community groups, and private-sector experts, utilizing cross-sector partnerships to deliver creative solutions that shape the city’s landscape. 

With projects throughout the five boroughs, including critical foundational work for the conversion of the High Line, founding of the Community Design School in Queens, partnering with the Taxi & Limousine Commission in designing the Taxi of Tomorrow, launching Under the Elevated and El-Space to reclaim and transform aging elevated transportation infrastructure and the spaces associated with it, and creating the Design Manual for 21st Century Parks, Design Trust’s work presents a methodology and replicable models for urban issues around public space that inspire other cities. 

For more information about the Design Trust for Public Space, visit designtrust.org. 

For media inquiries and requests, please contact: 

Juliet Sorce / Julia Exelbert 

Resnicow and Associates 

jsorce@resnicow.com / jexelbert@resnicow.com 

212.671.5158 / 212.671.5155 

Neighborhood Commons: Plazas, Sidewalks, and Beyond Explores New Models of Public Space Stewardship and Programming to Support Small Businesses

New York, NY – November 18, 2020 – The Design Trust for Public Space and the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) announce the launch of a new initiative designed to help New York City activate its public spaces in support of long-term resilience and economic recovery. Supported by a $125,000 grant from SBS, Neighborhood Commons: Plazas, Sidewalks, and Beyond aims to generate new strategies for how communities can leverage public space to support local economies, commercial corridors, and small businesses, a goal that has become especially critical as many recover from the impact of COVID-19. Neighborhood Commons builds on the Design Trust’s mission to serve as an advocate and thought-leader for NYC’s public spaces.

The initiative is being jointly led by the Design Trust and SBS in consultation with an Advisory Board of leaders from the public and private sector groups, including the Association for a Better New York, Bronx Night Market, Center for an Urban Future, Merchants of Third Avenue Bay Ridge, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, Street Vendor Project, and Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation, among others. The project will be developed and implemented by four newly appointed Design Trust fellows, professionals in the fields of urban policy, design, engagement, and communications. Applications are being accepted through early December, and appointments will be announced subsequently.

“We’re launching Neighborhood Commons at a critical time for the city’s economic and social health, examining how public space can help small business to thrive, and can be key civic anchors for their communities,” said Design Trust Executive Director Matthew Clarke. “For over 25 years, the Design Trust has elevated the critical role of public space in the livelihood of our neighborhoods. As the impact of the pandemic continues to be felt by local economies, Neighborhood Commons is a timely initiative that will support NYC’s economic recovery and the businesses that anchor its communities.”

Over the course of the initiative, which is expected to run until 2022, the project team will work with Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), the Department of Transportation’s NYC Plaza Program, and neighborhood establishments to improve current models of stewardship of public space, including pedestrian plazas, outdoor dining and sidewalk cafes, streets, and spaces made publicly accessible through citywide programs. The team will produce new research on ways NYC can reshape its approach to the management of public spaces located in the right-of-way, and how different models of local governance can impact outcomes. It will plan and implement a series of programmatic activations in public spaces and develop a toolkit that stewards of public space can use to engage neighborhood businesses in overseeing these shared areas.

“Innovation is key when envisioning how New York City communities manage public spaces for long-term resilience and recovery. The Design Trust for Public Space, a Neighborhood 360 Strategic Impact grantee, leads by example with the launch of the new initiative, Neighborhood Commons,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “We are excited for this partnership and look forward to seeing the impact on local communities.”

“During the pandemic, New York City has found creative ways to rethink and reshape how we use public space, allowing us to keep thousands of small businesses afloat and support neighborhoods,” said Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation. “Open Streets, Open Restaurants, and Open Storefronts have together shown just how vital public space is to keeping our city thriving. With special thanks to the Design Trust for Public Space, we now look forward to continuing this innovation approach by being part of the Neighborhood Commons initiative with our partners at the Department of Small Business Services.”

Neighborhood Commons builds on research conducted during a workshop on public plaza stewardship hosted in 2018 by the Design Trust in collaboration with the Neighborhood Plaza Program (NPP) at the Horticultural Society of New York and Uptown Grand Central.

About the Design Trust for Public Space

The Design Trust for Public Space is a nationally recognized incubator that catalyzes change and transforms New York City’s shared civic spaces—streets, plazas, parks, public buildings, transportation, and housing developments—to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable city. Established in 1995 by Andrea Woodner, the nonprofit brings design expertise and systems thinking to the public realm to make a lasting impact. Founded on the tenet that New York City’s cultural and democratic life depends on viable public space, the Design Trust focuses on social justice and equity, environmental sustainability, design excellence, and public engagement. Its innovative model brings together government agencies, community groups, and private-sector experts, utilizing cross-sector partnerships to deliver creative solutions that shape the city’s landscape.

With projects throughout the five boroughs, including critical foundational work for the conversion of the High Line, founding of the Community Design School in Queens, partnering with the Taxi & Limousine Commission in designing the Taxi of Tomorrow, launching Under the Elevated and El-Space to reclaim and transform aging elevated transportation infrastructure and the spaces associated with it, and creating the Design Manual for 21^st Century Parks, Design Trust’s work presents a methodology and replicable models for urban issues around public space that inspire other cities.

For more information about the Design Trust for Public Space, visit designtrust.org.

About the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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“Public space has never been more important than it is today, but it has never been more threatened,” says Matthew Clarke, director of the New York-based non-profit Design Trust for Public Space, pointing out that new challenges with municipal and state budgets will mean there are significant funding gaps to fill if projects are to move forward.

AD Pro New York News Editor Tim Latterner’s online roundup including news of Matthew’s appointment. Latterner wrote, “After his previous role as the national director of creative placemaking at the Trust for Public Land, Clarke will be entering his new role with a wealth of experience on urban land use.”

“Distinctive design and public art pique people’s curiosity about their city and elevate their spirit and civic pride.” So believes Susan Chin, the executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space, an organization that works with city agencies and the community to advance the role of public spaces. The architect, advocate, and former assistant commissioner at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs sees her current role as an opportunity, one that can connect New Yorkers with their city and empower them to stand up for the public spaces they want. “We help local leaders employ creative problem-solving, design, and negotiation skills in order to help them be better advocates for funding, project priorities, and content,” explains Chin. With an office in Lower Manhattan’s 19th-century street grid, the Design Trust is close to the nexus of city government, including City Hall.

Running through New York City there are approximately 300 miles of linear elevated tracks, from above-ground subways, and bridges to elevated highways. The space beneath this infrastructure is called El-Space, and for much of the city’s history this space has been neglected and under utilized. Over the past few years the Design Trust for Public Space and New York City Department of Transportation have been working on a project to reclaim this space for use by New Yorkers. Last year Untapped Cities partnered with Design Trust to launch the first phase of the project in Brooklyn, and this year guests are invited to check out a new El-Space pilot installation in Long Island City as part of NYCxDesign Week.

The quest to brighten and enliven the numerous disused public spaces underneath New York’s elevated infrastructure continues. The Design Trust has released the first look at its second pilot space at Dutch Kills Street in Long Island City, which will turn the space below two elevated roadways into a sustainable community gathering space.

The first El-Space, a repurposing of the area under the Gowanus Expressway in Sunset Park, was such a success that the Design Trust for Public Space and NYC Department of Transportation have followed up with El-Space 2.0. On May 16, a jointly-held event will reveal the project’s next iteration in Long Island City as well as the framework for planning future “El-Spaces.”

“This is really about retaining a unique, creative industry,” said Susan Chin, executive director of Design Trust for Public Space. “We need to acquire a building for garment manufacturing, enlist more owners through the tax incentive program and provide tools to upgrade the industry and train workforce to aid the long-term survival of the heart of New York City’s global fashion capital.”

At the benefit, which raised more than $360,000, attendees learned how the trust is revitalizing underused spaces. The nonprofit brings together agencies, community groups and private sector experts, guided by social justice, equity and environmental sustainability, to create parks, plazas and other public spaces. It saved the High Line structure in Manhattan, now an urban park, and last summer its pilot EL-Space project transformed a large, unused section underneath the Gowanus Expressway at 36th St. and 3rd Ave. in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, into a dramatic public space.

“What difference does the design make for urban agriculture?” 

"We’re thinking not only about this network of land but designing systems that connect all of these areas – social capital, workforce development and the environment – that urban agriculture is a benefit to," said Design Trust's executive director Susan Chin, who joined Ysanet Batista and Karen Wahington at The Laura Flanders Show.

“In this tax-cut world, public-private partnership and cross-sector partnership is really important,” says Susan Chin, FAIA, executive director of Design Trust for Public Space.

Members of Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration checked out the installations of "Sonic Gates," a sight-and-sound art walk conceptualized by borough artist Volker Goetze, in partnership with Staten Island Arts and Design Trust for Public Space.

De Blasio reps in attendance Wednesday were Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop and Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl. Their visit was part of the week-long visit "City Hall In Your Borough" initiative.

We were gathered to celebrate the opening of the city’s first pilot intervention in the el-space—el is for elevated—which is the name for these overlooked urban veins given by the city’s Design Trust for Public Space, a nonprofit with its eye on the civic realm…What was on display in Brooklyn in May was the first fruit of the Design Trust’s project—soon it will be followed by five other pop-ups in the shadows of New York’s expressways, railroad tracks, and bridges. “We look forward to seeing this all over the city,” Design Trust executive director Susan Chin told the crowd. All over the country too.

The Design Trust for Public Space (the nonprofit that helped to create the High Line) and the Department of Transportation are taking on this so-called el-space, which accounts for more than 70 million square feet around the boroughs…They have given a makeover to a walkway underneath the Gowanus Expressway in Sunset Park.

Design Trust for Public Space is listed in New York Magazine’s Approval Matrix (in the Highbrow/Brilliant quadrant!) for the El-Space pilot project that debuts an ensemble of tools for capturing storm water runoff with plantings, and providing better lighting and a safer walkway under the elevated Gowanus Expressway in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation.

If you've driven on it or under it, you know the Gowanus Expressway can be a bit of an eyesore…But some of the space under the elevated highway is finally being put to good use. Thanks to a partnership between the Design Trust for Public Space and The Department of Transportation, the El-Space Pilot is unlocking the potential of the underbelly of the BQE.

This real estate beneath the Gowanus Expressway might be a place you speed right past and never give a second look. Yet, others see beauty here. Design Trust for Public Space partnered with the Department of Transportation to transform the space at 36th Street and 3rd Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

The spaces underneath bridges, expressways, and elevated trains are often more or less voids, disused and often altogether unpleasant. However, The Design Trust for Public Space is trying to change that with “el-spaces” that activate and reimagine these shadowy locales.

With El-Space now in place, the team at The Design Trust for Public Space will be analyzing it for sustainability and pedestrian safety, checking the effectiveness of the low light plantings in cleaning the air and capturing storm water from the highway above, critiquing how the lighting fixtures provide better and artistic illumination for people at the intersection.

Space is forever at a premium in New York City, which can lead to ingenious solutions for creating engaging public spaces in unlikely or inhospitable places…In that spirit, for the past few years, the Design Trust for Public Space has been exploring the possibility of activating one of New York’s largest pieces of underutilized space: the underpasses beneath highways, elevated trains, and bridges, or what it calls “el space.”

Recientemente, el Design Trust for Public Space, en Estados Unidos, organizó un taller para recuperar las experiencias de 10 ciudades norteamericanas, entre ellas México…El taller de Brooklyn me dejó un buen sabor de boca, pero también mucho orgullo, porque en algunos casos la instrumentación de los bajopuentes ha sido difícil, pero es un caso exitoso que traspasa fronteras.

The Gowanus Expressway's steal support beams have been bedecked with planters and lights as part of a new city program. The Design Trust for Public Spaces and the Department of Transportation brought their first installation in their pilot program "Under the Elevated/El-Space" to Sunset Park this month.

The ambitious $1.54 million public art series launches the first Friday in June…It's a summer collaboration between New York City's Design Trust for Public Space and Staten Island Arts, supported by the NYC Department of Small Business Services, which invested that million-plus-bucks to jumpstart commerce in Downtown Staten Island through partnerships with local businesses and community organizations.

“Sonic Gates” is a series of ten public art installations that create a “sound sculpture walk” from St. George to Stapleton, Staten Island. Many artists participated in the exhibit, and pieces range from a 17-foot-long wind harp that plays itself to a 90-foot-long mural that pays tribute to the borough’s maritime heritage.

[Luisa] Santos’s role as an equitable public space fellow, in her words: “to make sure that these projects and these decisions that are being made are more equitable.” Changemaking takes time, she’s learned, and one year doesn’t quite allow for all the change to happen. One project Santos worked on is El-Space, an effort in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation to revitalize and make use of spaces underneath elevated infrastructure like highways, subways and bridges. 

A public hearing on urban ag policy held last fall left a bitter taste in community organizers’ mouths; advocates said the meeting was largely skewed toward for-profit, primarily white growers, while community growers of color were underrepresented.

Luisa Santos, who testified on behalf of the Design Trust for Public Space at that meeting, called for a citywide task force that would review the proposed plan. A diversity of growers on that task force is key, she said, as is acknowledging resource gaps between community and commercial growers.

Mychal Johnson and Monxo López of South Bronx Unite and the Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards outlined the benefits of land trusts and why and how they’re implementing the model in their Bronx neighborhood…The group won an award from the Design Trust for Public Space to support Power In Place: Building Community Wealth and Well-Being in Mott Haven-Port Morris, which will use asset mapping and community-driven neighborhood planning to explore the potential of the CLT as a model for public space.

The focus on commercial opportunities in City Council Bill Int. No. 1661 seemed to overlook the long-standing work of community gardeners and soil-based urban farmers in communities across the city...“The industry must focus not only on tech jobs,” said Susan Chin, executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space, “but also bring attention to more traditional methods of community-based growing that have proven sustainability, resilience, and an array of public health and social benefits for neighborhoods.”