The Design Trust, Verona Carpenter Architects, WIP Collaborative, and a network of disability advocates have partnered on a new initiative to reimagine New York City public spaces — streets, playgrounds, plazas, and more — to better support neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in brain functioning that exists in our world. Neurodivergent people – including people with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, and mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD – are often excluded from public space access because the planning and construction of our communities does not take into account the cognitive, sensory, and social variation inherent in our neurodiverse world. Public spaces are only accessible if they can be meaningfully used by the full range of the public. The Neurodiverse City seeks to learn from the experience and knowledge of neurodivergent self-advocates by building a broad-based coalition of partners, identifying ways to quantify and qualify neuroinclusive space, and proposing meaningful policy change in key areas where these ideas can be scaled and broadened.
The team will assemble and convene the Advisory Committee to establish the methodologies and workplan. Key meetings with City agency leads will be established.
The team will host a public event to share the research and work to date. It will celebrate the processes and community building while also gathering feedback and honing in on potential new outcomes. The event will include the release of a preliminary research report.
Stay tuned for updates on phase 2 of the project including prototypes, pilot testing, and policy advocacy