The Restorative City: Designing New York City with Health at the Center

Design Trust for Public Space

A one-day convening bringing together urban planners, city officials,  public health experts, and  advocates to plan a healthy NYC!

Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice

The Restorative City is a one-day convening that will bring together urban planners, city officials, neighborhood advocates, and public health experts to center health equity in the design and planning of New York City. This special event will elevate important conversations about community health, environmental justice, social resilience, and design excellence as core drivers of how New Yorkers, especially those most vulnerable, can thrive. It is an open, inclusive call to action for New York City's next chapter.J﻿oin us in-person at the <a href="https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/the-ford-foundation-center-for-social-justice/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice</a> for a restorative day of panel discussions, performances, and workshops geared towards building community wellness through public space and the built environment. View the full agenda below and look forward to sessions on environmental justice, impact of public art access on health, new visions for the city, civic participation, and more, with featured storytelling testimonies from designers who are working to bridge the divide between design and public health.Guest speakers include:<ul><li>Dr. Michelle Morse, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene</li></ul><ul><li>Elizabeth Hamby, Director of Civic Engagement at the NYC Department of City Planning</li></ul><ul><li>Betsy MacLean, Chief Engagement Officer at the NYC Mayor's Office</li></ul><ul><li>Jen Hughes, Senior Advisor to the Chair on Partnerships, Expansion, &amp; Innovation at the National Endowment of the Arts</li></ul><ul><li>Alex Zablocki, Executive Director, Public Housing Community Fund</li></ul><ul><li>John Douglas, Director of Land Use at the Brooklyn Borough President's Office</li></ul><ul><li>Matthew Clarke, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space</li></ul><ul><li>Adriana Espinoz, Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation</li></ul><ul><li>Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York</li></ul><ul><li>Yin Kong, Co-founder and Director of Think!Chinatown</li></ul><ul><li>Alexandra Shoneyin, Founder of Forest Avenue COMEunity Fridge</li></ul><ul><li>Eran Chen, AIA, Founding Principal and Executive Director of ODA </li></ul><ul><li> Kim Kessler, Assistant Commissioner NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene</li></ul><ul><li>Kizzy Charles-Guzmán, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice</li></ul><ul><li>Dara Byrne, PhD, Dean of William E. Macaulay Honors College</li></ul><ul><li>Sloan Leo, CEO &amp; Lead Facilitator of FLOX Studio</li></ul><ul><li>Jenna Miller, Deputy Director of the Public Design Commission</li></ul><ul><li>Julie Bero, Chief Strategy Officer of the NYC Department of Transportation</li></ul><ul><li>Tamara Greenfield, Vice President, Public Space and Operations of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership</li></ul><ul><li>Nathan Kensinger, Photojournalist </li></ul><ul><li>Verona Carpenter Architects and WIP Collaborative </li></ul><ul><li>Sade Lythcott, Chief Executive Officer of National Black Theatre</li></ul><ul><li> Jonathan McCrory, Executive Artistic Director of National Black Theatre</li></ul><ul><li>Barbara Wilks, Founding Principal of W Architecture &amp; Landscape Architecture</li></ul><ul><li>Gabrielle Prisco, Co-Executive Director of the Lineage Project</li></ul><ul><li>Brandon Bendter, Youth Panelist from Groundswell NYC</li></ul><ul><li>Gabrielle Vazquez, Youth Panelist from Groundswell NYC</li></ul><ul><li>Matthew Friday, Youth Panelist from DreamYard</li></ul><ul><li>Milo De Jesus, Youth Panelist from DreamYard</li></ul><ul><li>J﻿asmin Tepale, Equitable Public Space Fellow at the Design Trust for Public Space</li></ul><ul><li>Shayla Lawson, Author </li></ul><ul><li>Special performances by Kendra Ross, Turnout NYC local artist , Dancer, Choreographer, and Founder/Director of STooPS</li></ul>

Lunch and refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees. The event at the Ford Foundation will be followed by a closing garden reception. Please include any dietary restrictions or special needs in our accessibility intake available with ticket purchase. I﻿f this event is cost-prohibitive, reach out to us for support options for students and vulnerable community members. T﻿he Restorative City is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mellon Foundation, W Architecture and Landscape Architecture LLP, Curtis Ginsberg Architects LLP, HKS, Perkins + Will, Nelson\ Nygaard and HOK. <a href="https://www.designtrust.org/events/restorative-city-convening/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Click here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities</a>. <a href="https://www.addevent.com/event/vU15880873" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">ADD THE RESTORATIVE CITY TO YOUR CALENDAR</a><a href="https://app.sli.do/event/h1wVmDxztHbw4hZsHKCgcR/login?redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.sli.do%2Fevent%2Fh1wVmDxztHbw4hZsHKCgcR%2Flive%2Fpolls" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">We want to hear from New Yorkers! Tell us: what makes you feel well?</a>Questions? Interested in being an event volunteer? Contact nroach@designtrust.org.

Agenda

We will get the day started with coffee and pastries followed by a short presentation. *Guests do not have to attend every session, but event registration is mandatory. Staff will be on site all day at the registration booth if guests choose to arrive later in the convening. After registering, attendees can choose to leave and return for their desired sessions.

Registration

Opening remarks from the Design Trust for Public Space.

Welcome & Introduction 

The opening session will set the day’s conversation by introducing key subjects such as the social determinants of health, setting racism as the top line health issue, and highlighting the connection between health equity and the built environment.

Opening Plenary:  Seeing the Built Environment as a Tool for Health Equity    

Environmental justice and health equity are inextricable. The impacts of climate change disproportionately burden historically marginalized communities, an inequity which is only growing. This session will explore how new approaches to design and planning can serve as a frontline resource. This session will be followed by a provided lunch break.

Session Two: Environmental Change and Justice

Access to arts and culture provides measurable benefits to our individual and collective health. Yet inequitable access to arts, marginalization of cultures, and breakdown of social capital limit this mental and physical health. This session will present an emerging national story about the power of arts to build healthier communities and include a youth panel discussion.

Session Three: The Culture of Wellbeing

Interlude: Special Guest Artist Performance & Guided Stretch 

The current administration has recently released plans that intersect with the built environment and health equity. This session will examine these intersections and discuss opportunities to create a comprehensive plan for health equity in New York City.

Session Four: A Vision for a Healthy New York

A core structural driver of health equity in design is an engaged, active, and empowered citizenry. At this session, hear from a panel of leaders in civic participation and distributed decision-making as they explore how this approach is foundational to designing healthy communities.

Session Five: Activated and Engaged Citizenry

Design Trust for Public Space Executive Director Matthew Clarke will close out the day with final remarks plus a poetry reading by Shayla Lawson.

Closing Remarks

End the day with toast to the healthy future of New York City.