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.

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On September 1, 2015, the Nissan NV200 (a.k.a. Taxi of Tomorrow) finally became New York City's yellow cab standard! This is a victory for drivers and riders comfort and safety, for the city as a whole, but also for thoughtful and user-centered design. 

If it weren't for the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC), Smart Design, and Nissan, there would be no Taxi of Tomorrow:

The Taxi of Tomorrow program was launched in 2008 by the NYC TLC to pursue the creation of a new iconic taxi for New York City. Unlike the previous New York taxis – which are regular passenger cars retrofitted to be taxicabs with no safety guidelines or crash regulations governing how this is done, and with metal and plexiglass partitions between front and back seats installed after the vehicles are purchased, thus weakening the vehicle's structural integrity – the Nissan's NV200 Taxi of Tomorrow is purpose-built, with several pre-installed safety features, including a partition is now part of the vehicle's basic structure and does not interfere with side air bag deployment. 

In early 2008, as a direct result of our Taxi 07 project, the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission launched the Taxi of Tomorrow competition to pursue the creation of a new iconic taxi for New York City. Following the goals the Design Trust identified in Taxi 07: Roads Forward, the Taxi of Tomorrow competition called for a purpose-built taxicab with increased safety and environmental standards, reduced vehicle and lifestyle costs, iconic design elements and enhanced ride quality, durability, and accessibility.

In May 2011, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the NV200, designed by Nissan North America Inc., was the winner of the Taxi of Tomorrow competition. Recognizing the Design Trust's pioneering role to bring innovation to the New York City taxi vehicle, Nissan engaged the Design Trust as a design advisor to the development of the NV200.

In 2014, NYC TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi took up the torch, and worked tirelessly to develop a safer, more comfortable, user-friendly taxi. She was also a principal architect of a settlement with disability advocates that will result in a 50% wheelchair accessible taxi fleet by the year 2020, making the city's fleet the most accessible in the nation by far. 

“Public space is vital, because it’s where we live, work and travel as a people and a culture; like the human body, public space has a vital transportation network and many parts that are distinctly different from one another, but it is the melding of these parts that blend into a life well-lived," said Commissioner Joshi.

Smart Design Founder and CEO Davin Stowell was equally remarkable serving as a design advisor on the Taxi of Tomorrow, creating the updated NYC taxi identity and iconography and providing significant pro-bono support to Nissan and the City of New York.

Davin Stowell shared his insights on the significance of Taxi of Tomorrow for the future of public space:

"The Taxi of Tomorrow project began for us in a time before the first iPhone was ever introduced. Since then, digital technology has enabled us to connect supply and demand in a way that will transform urban transportation in a truly disruptive and positive way. Cities of the 21st century will move and flow very differently than those that came before as new generations balance the concept of ownership with the benefits of access in a new sharing economy. 

For the past year we’ve been working on a new connected transportation service which will help cities flow more efficiently, reducing congestion and pollution by enabling people to travel together without sacrificing comfort or safety. Nowhere will this work have greater impact than in developing markets such as Asia and South America, where design and innovation can help communities leapfrog the problems of the past and set an example for the new urban mobility.

As our urban landscape becomes increasingly more dense, we hope that each small contribution we make as a champion of public space will lay way to greater things from others and a better future of the city for all."

Learn more about the development of the Taxi of Tomorrow.