Join us at Pier 57 in the Daffodil Classroom for a panel discussion on creating access to NYC's waterfronts!
Over the past month, Pier 57 hosted the Design Trust for Public Space 2025 Photo Urbanism exhibition, "Desire Lines and Daylighting" by local photographer and filmmaker Nathan Kensinger. Following community organizations in The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, this photo series uncovers local efforts to reclaim and restore coastlines, polluted and cut off by industrialization. Although the city has 520 miles of coastline and dozens of waterfront parks, for many New Yorkers, finding access to the nearest waterway is nearly impossible. To get to the water, the best route is often an informal trail, blazed by neighborhood residents. Sometimes called desire lines, these unofficial pathways are hidden behind fences and on dead-end streets. Kensinger's photographs explore abandoned train lines and street ends, where residents are developing their own visions for public spaces at the water’s edge.
To close out the exhibition's run, Design Trust will moderate a discussion between Kensinger and local advocates on the work and a new vision for a more equitable water future in NYC, Design Trust will moderate a discussion between Kensinger and local advocates on the work and a new vision for a more equitable water future in NYC, including Matt Malina of NYC H2O, Chauncy Young of the Harlem River Coalition, and Willis Elkins of Newtown Creek Alliance.
Light refreshments will be provided. The exhibition is located past Market 57 in the "Living Room." The panel discussion will be held in the Daffodil Classroom. Find a map of Pier 57 's community classrooms here.
The Photo Urbanism Fellowship is made possible by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This year’s Photo Urbanism fellow, Nathan Kensigner, was chosen alongside Design Trust’s 2025 Request for Proposals themed around Water, a call for projects that will launch later this year. Learn more at photourbanism.org