NYC Parks to Host First Public Summit with Pulitzer Prize Winner Paul Goldberger

NYC Parks and The New School's Center for New York City Affairs and Tishman Center for Environment and Design will host PARKS WITHOUT BORDERS: IDEAS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF URBAN PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACE, a summit on the future of parks and urban spaces. Featuring a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger, and conversations with world-renowned landscape architect Signe Neilson, founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation Charles Birnbaum, placemaking movement leader Fred Kent, "Tactical Urbanism" author Mike Lydon and NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, Parks Without Borders will bring together the leading minds in parks and public spaces from NYC and across the country.

The sold out, daylong conference takes place, Tues., May 24 at The New School's University Center, at 63 Fifth Avenue. The conference will include the announcement of the eight New York City parks that have been chosen to pilot NYC Parks' innovative Parks Without Borders design approach, and the launch of a new technology based pilot program. A full list of 70 speakers, and a complete agenda are available for download.

"Parks Without Borders is a vision for parks and public spaces that are welcoming, accessible and beautiful," said Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver. "As New York and other cities continue to grow rapidly and welcome new populations, it's crucial that our parks and public spaces evolve as well. The global leaders joining us at the conference will advance and expand our thinking as we create the next generation of great urban parks."

"The New School and TEDC have a long-standing commitment to creating just and sustainable real-world solutions through socially engaged design and policy," said Michelle DePass, Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. "Our parks-valued public spaces that are key to maintaining urban resiliency-are places where our students and faculty engage with communities and urban ecosystems to create positive change and enhance the quality of life for New Yorkers."

"It was a remarkable feat of vision and shared effort among our City's founders and builders that set aside both enormous swaths of parkland across the boroughs and dotted our neighborhoods with green spaces for us to play and meet and sit," said Kristin Morse, Executive Director of the Center for New York City Affairs. "We are pleased to join Commissioner Silver in re-envisioning how parks and public spaces can support a more equitable, inclusive, and dynamic city."

The summit's themes include innovative design, equity, engagement, resiliency, ecological and landscape connectivity, and more. The event is designed to guide the work of Park planners, designers and other urbanists and to offer inspiration about the power and potential of parks and public space to support vibrant, dynamic, and resilient communities.

In addition to the main presentations, the conference will offer panel discussions and hands-on workshops led by architects, landscape designers, digital engagement experts, and urban planners including "Smart Space: Serving Park Users through Data & Tech," "Not Just for Play: The Role of Parks in a Resilient City," and "Neighborhood-Based Green Infrastructure."

Parks Without Borders is presented by The J.M. Kaplan Fund, with additional support from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, Citi, the Mayor's Fund for New York City, and AT&T.