October 25, 2013
8:30 – 10:30AM
Kohn Pedersen Fox
11 West 42nd Street, New York

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The continual renewal of London and New York’s skyline, architecture, and city planning have contributed to their status as two of the most dynamic cities in the world, able to quickly adapt to changing economic, environmental and social circumstances.

But with recent debates around the redevelopment of historic assets, including Smithfield Market and the Southbank Centre in London and the East Midtown rezoning in New York, how can both cities achieve the right balance between historic preservation and city renewal?

This special seminar is the fourth in an NLA series supported by KPF, and in association with the Forum for Urban Design, and takes place simultaneously in New York and London to share knowledge and explore the key issues facing the built environment in both cities.

Breakfast will be served at 8:30AM, with the seminar beginning promptly at 9:00AM. This live video seminar is taking place simultaneously in New York and London so that audiences from both cities will be able to participate in the debate.

Next New York

View the 40 Proposals
Purchase the Book – $10

This spring, the Forum invited distinguished civic leaders, developers and designers to pitch bold visions for a more competitive, livable and sustainable New York. The result was more than forty courageous proposals imagining rebuilt infrastructure, reformed government, and an animated public realm.

Among the proposals were new express connections to the region’s airports, a park capping the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, an extension of the Roosevelt Island Tram, new light rail for the Long Island City and Brooklyn waterfronts, the creation of the New York City Department of Food, re-skinned public housing, and reforms to ease the production of affordable housing.

On July 30, 2013 the Forum for Urban Design hosted the Summer Fellows Forum and Dinner with Dan Doctoroff and John Zuccotti to celebrate the launch of the Next New York Publication.

The Next New York publication is now available for purchase. An online version of the project may be found here.

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On July 30, the Forum hosted the Next New York Fellows Dinner to celebrate the culmination of the Next New York series. Daniel Doctoroff (Bloomberg LP) and John Zuccotti (Brookfield Office Properties) joined Julia Vitullo-Martin (Regional Plan Association) in conversation about new directions for the next mayor. What were the most pressing challenges facing New York City? How would the next mayor attract not only new businesses but also new creative talent?

Zuccotti maintained the two keys to the city’s success were affordable housing and good transit. Doctoroff suggested that the outer boroughs were key to the city’s economic growth and the development of new affordable housing. And while they rallied around many of the Next New York proposals, from express connections to the airports to modular housing, they could not agree on one proposal: that the city’s capital budget should be restored to the City Planning Commission.

For more information about the Next New York proposals, contributors, and series, click here.

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In June 2013, Fellows of the Forum for Urban Design toured the first phase of construction on Governors Island. Led by Jamie Maslyn Larson, Principal of West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture, and Leslie Koch, President of the Trust for Governors Island, the Fellows took a sneak peek at over thirty acres of new landscape being developed on the island, including the “hammock grove”, a revitalized historic district, and new ball fields.

While the original aim of the design was to attract New Yorkers to a geographically isolated park throughout the year, the West 8 design team has also had to wrestle with the island’s resiliency in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Through clever landscaping and the introduction of new elevation around the island (including a new park of hills to be as tall as 80 feet), the island will remain largely unaffected by future storms.

Phase I of the island’s makeover broke ground in June 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2013. With plans for new development zones and other new parks on the southern half of the isle, Governors Island will be a world-class work-in-progress in the coming years.

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This spring, the Forum for Urban Design invited distinguished civic leaders, developers, and designers to pitch bold visions for a more competitive, livable, and sustainable New York. The result was more than forty courageous proposals imagining rebuilt infrastructure, reformed government, and an animated public realm.

The Forum aims to inspire the next mayor to make bold and comprehensive change. This summer, we are working to compile our proposals into a Call to Action, which we plan to release in advance of the mayoral primaries and elections this fall.

Learn more about our July 30 dinner.
Learn more about our spring workshops.

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The Forum for Urban Design, MAS, and local civic organizations partnered to present “The Road to Resilience,” a series of workshops on rebuilding New York and New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. On January 11, the Forum and various community groups led site visits of impacted neighborhoods and open spaces (including tours by Fellows Regina Myer, Chris Sharples, Matthew Urbanski, and Madelyn Wils). On January 12, the Forum participated in working sessions to confront issues of infrastructure, transportation, open space, and more.

The Forum applauds MAS, AIA NY, and other local civic organizations for continuing to study the region’s resilience in the face of future disasters.