Public Realm Roundtable
New York City - June 2024

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About this Symposium

The Public Realm Roundtable is a national gathering of government and supporting organizations who build, maintain and enliven public space.

New York City’s Mayor Adams, business districts and the Alliance for Public Space Leadership​ have come together to forge a new position in government, the Director of the Public Realm. This revolutionary new role could become a best practice that the top cities across America should want to pursue.

This is a gathering of those responsible for the public realm including parks departments, property management bureaus, public works managers, and government-adjacent players like BIDs, “Friends of” organizations and conservancies will convene in New York City this June to have a series of thematic roundtable discussions to share good practices, innovations and discuss pain points in our collaborative and emergent work to create praise-worthy public realms.
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Video Archive

Day 1 - Video

Day 2 - Video

Key Topics of Discussion

• Catalyzing and Keeping Cross-Department Synergies to Complete Vast Transformation
• Maintenance and Enlivening of Spaces with Partners through Permits, MOUs, Reimbursable Expenses and Intermediary Organizations​
• Equity and Anti-gentrification Tactics
• The Next Frontier: Reforming Already-Existing Public Spaces for Better Use: When Streets, Sidewalks, Parking Spaces, Buffers and Margins become new centers of Public Gathering
• ​Making the Case: Connecting the Realm to its Outcomes like Health, Economy, Climate, Sociability and other positives outcomes to attract partners and ease permissions
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Speakers 

• Ya-Ting Liu, Director of the Public Realm, New York City
• Daniela Chacon, Former Vice Mayor of Quito
• Guillermo Bernal, Director of Placemaking Mexico
• Jackson Chabot, Open Plans, Alliance for Public Space Leadership
• Diana Fernandez Bibeau, Deputy Chief of Urban Design, City of Boston
• Dorian McDuffie, Public Art Project Manager, City of Atlanta City Studio
• Elana Ehrenberg, Design Trust for Public Space
• Ethan Kent, PlacemakingUS
  
• David Burney, Director - MS Urban Placemaking and Management at Pratt Institute School of Architecture & Former Commissioner NYC Department of Design and Construction
• Jim Burke, Co-Founder, 34th Ave Open Street
• Ryan Smolar, Co-Director of PlacemakingUS
• Tim Tompkins, NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management
• Michael "Blaise" Backer, Former NYC Department of Small Business Services
• Tiera Mack, Executive Director of the Pitkin Avenue BID
• Trey Jenkins, Executive Director at 161st Street BID
• Nate Storring, Project for Public Spaces, Author of Hyperlocal: Place Governance in a Fragmented World
• Sara Hobel and Liza Ehrlich, The Horticultural Society of New York
• Sophie Neuhaus, Trust for Public Land
• Abigail Sekely, The Human Architecture and Planning Institute 
• Martha Snow, Director of Community Design, Urban Design Forum
• Madeleine Spencer, Co-Director of PlacemakingUS

NYC is Making Big Moves 

• Investment in Public Spaces: The city plans to invest $375 million to create and enhance public spaces, ensuring high-quality environments for social, economic, and cultural activities.
• Key Projects:
  • Broadway Vision Plan: A comprehensive initiative aimed at transforming Broadway into a more pedestrian-friendly  avenue.
  • Permanent Open Streets Upgrades: Upgrades in the Bronx and Staten Island will solidify the success of temporary open street arrangements, contributing to safer and more engaging neighborhoods.
  • Outdoor Dining Program: Building on the popular temporary Open Restaurants program, a new permanent outdoor dining initiative will be spearheaded to support local businesses and enhance street life.
  • Reclamation of Spaces under the Brooklyn Bridge: This initiative will transform previously closed areas into vibrant public zones.

Public Realm Leaders We Visited With: