Design Trust Selects Two New Public Space Projects to Advance Health Equity across New York City

The Design Trust for Public Space has 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.