Design and Equity: The Community Parks Initiative

June 17, 2015 

Photo courtesy of the Center for Architecture

Under the Community Parks Initiative, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation is investing in public parks located in New York City’s densely populated and growing neighborhoods with higher-than-average concentrations of poverty. The first phase of the initiative will focus on 35 public parks that have not had any capital investment of more than $250,000 in over 20 years. The City is committed to increasing the accessibility, sustainability, and equity of NYC’s parks. Panelists, representing the City and designers tasked with this work, discussed the impetus behind this initiative.

Panelists:
Mitchell Silver, FAICP, Commissioner, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Signe Nielsen, RLA, FASLA, Principal, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects; President, Public Design Commission of the City of New York
Terri-Lee Burger, RLA, Principal, Abel Bainnson Butz
John P. Williams, ASLA, Principal-in-charge, MKW + Associates

Moderators:
Michael Plottel, AIA, Project Executive, NYC Department of Design and Construction; Co-Chair, AIANY Public Architecture Committee
Anna Torriani, AIA, Principal, Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani Architects Planners; Co-Chair, AIANY Public Architecture Committee

Read a summary of the Design and Equity panel.

View a video of the Design and Equity panel.