What makes a library a good, functional, and welcoming public space?

This is what we will explore on February 22nd at the new-ish NY Public Library, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on 5th Ave in NYC.

This extensive re-design of the 7-floor building has programming ranging from in-house cafes, meeting rooms, media booths, computer stations, traditional book stacks, gathering clusters, a cozy children’s space, and busy teen area.

My favorite? The collaborative puzzle table at the entry.

Come check it out for yourself and give us your thoughts!

How does circulation between one point to another become a public space destination?

This is what we will explore in March at the Oculus in the Financial District, NYC.

What does it mean to create space along an urban waterfront? And is this considered 3rd space?

Come share your thoughts as we investigate the new Domino Park!

Privately-owned public space - does it work? Is it equitable? Or just a tax break?

Let’s find out by exploring the 6-1/2 Ave in midtown, NYC!

Via architectmagazine.com: “6 1/2 Avenue is the formal creation of the NYC Department of Transportation based on the advocacy of Friends of Privately Owned Public Spaces (F-POPS, as founded by Brian Nesin, David Grider, Graham Coreil-Allen, and Jordan Zimolka).

Our Arcade Parade drew attention to what we called Holly Whyte Way, a string of Midblock POPS that run from 51st to 57th st, and in working with the DOT and Community Board, we convinced the city to install crosswalks, stop signs, and a mid-block crosswalk at 57th Street to mark the path.

This new "road", dubbed 6 1/2 Avenue, was the first modification to the city grid in decades, and puts pedestrians first.”

We will be joined by Brian Nesin, a founding member and integral participant in creating 6-1/2 Ave.

Join us to experience time and space at what once was considered to be the financial “Wall Street” of its day.

We will be joined by Brooklyn Architect David Cunningham who worked on the rehabilitation of Historic Front Street w/ Cook + Fox Architects.

Our June location has a lot to unearth - see you there!

Via PPS.org: “The creation of this Open Street has depended on a groundswell of local involvement. Local advocates have long called for more open space in the area, but a string of car crashes on 34th Avenue and nearby thoroughfares in the years leading up to the pandemic—one of which left a nine-year-old dead—ignited a strong push for improvements. Even the most ardent opponents of the Open Street, who cite concerns over accessibility and parking, have agreed that the roads around schools and parks should be safer. More recently, Mayor Adams visited 34th Avenue alongside the NYCDOT commissioner just two months into his tenure.

But the latest vision for 34th Avenue take the idea of an Open Street even further. While other Open Streets are evolving into “bike boulevards” or bike-priority lanes, car-free plazas, or “shared” streets with a pedestrian and cyclist focus, 34th Avenue Open Street is a step in a wholly different direction. It embeds the Open Street into its surroundings, making the street appear more like a linear park than, well, a street.

“It’s the first superblock in New York City,” says Council Member Shekar Krishnan, who represents the Jackson Heights area.”

To read more: https://www.pps.org/article/new-yorks-most-exciting-new-public-space-is-a-street-in-queens