"As a nonprofit that works to unlock the potential of New York City’s public spaces – from parks and plazas to streets and public buildings – through community-informed design, we are all too familiar with the red-tape and unwieldy maze of permitting and insurance requirements to program and bring communal spaces to life," said Matthew Clarke, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space. "In some severe cases, several city agencies are required to sign off on the permitting for one outdoor event, each with their own complicated processes.

We spent a year working with 55+ stakeholders, spanning city agencies, community organizations, and private sector partners across all five boroughs to better understand these barriers and to underscore the cultural and economic value of the nearly 30,000 annual events these programmers produce, animating city life. The research is clear: public space programming strengthens social cohesion, catalyzes local business growth, improves public health and safety, and expands access to arts and culture. Yet, fragmented permitting rules, outdated digital tools, disproportionate insurance costs, and siloed processes burden organizers and agency staff alike, discouraging participation and leaving too much opportunity on the table.

Based on this research, our latest report, Untaped: Removing Barriers for Public Space Programming, proposes eight recommendations to streamline and simplify public realm management, including reorganizing what was once the Office of the Public Realm, specific guidelines and technology updates to reform the permitting process into one central resource, and new reasonable regulatory standards.

Untaped offers a roadmap for a city where public space is truly public, open, and accessible by the full diversity of NYC. We urge the commission to review our recommendations and integrate the Untaped policy platform into their proposals. New Yorkers deserve clarity and agency in deciding how they can use their public spaces."