Thursday, April 28, 2011

An open call to improve our 'physical fabric'


From the EV Grieve inbox a few weeks back...

From now through April 30, the Institute for Urban Design (IfUD) will turn to the New Yorkers to reframe the debate about the future of the city’s public spaces. By the City / For the City is an innovative two-part open call for ideas that begins by asking New Yorkers where they see potential for improvement in the city’s physical fabric, and then asks the international design community to respond to the challenges set forth by the public. Together, ideas from citizens and designers alike will represent an atlas of possibility for the city’s future, which will provide the foundation for the first-ever Urban Design Week from Sept. 15–20.

The IfUD will host Urban Design Week, a public festival created to engage New Yorkers in the collaborative process of city-making, including the complex issues of the public realm, and to celebrate the streetscapes, sidewalks and public spaces at the heart of city life. It will include a rich roster of discussions, tours, screenings, workshops and events across the five boroughs, and highlight the collective nature of city-building.

You can read more about it here.

Meanwhile! A progress report from the IfUD last night:

We've already had 300 ideas submitted around the five boroughs, and they really run the gamut. In the East Village, people have suggested everything from an adult exercise area in Tompkins Square Park, to a community theater and art space on East 13th, to more co-working spaces around the neighborhood for artists and startups. Someone even made the very specific and pointed suggestion that the EV aim for a reduction in the number of bars, froyo shops, and cupcakeries to chase out "the yunnies, yuppies, and tourists who just trash the neighborhood."

I'll vote for that last one... Anyway, you can leave your ideas here until Saturday. And, if you want, let me know what you picked...

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