The Neurodiverse City

Winner, Design Trust for Public Space RFP
“The Restorative City: Building Community Wellness Through Public Space”
New York City
2021-

with Verona Carpenter Architects

The Neurodiverse City is an ongoing phased research and design initiative in partnership with Verona Carpenter and with the support of CIDNY, BILS, and IncludeNYC. Through a two-year, phased research and co-creation process with these partners and local communities, we will examine existing public spaces - playgrounds, streetscapes, and pocket parks, prototype design interventions to make them more sensory friendly, and propose new guidlines to support the greatest range of physical, emotional, and neurological differences in the public realm.

Though we live in a neurodiverse city, the design of the public realm does not support the entire population and their range of physical, neurological, and emotional needs. In the wake of the isolation and trauma of the pandemic, it is urgent that our city spaces offer inclusive zones where all of us, including those with “invisible disabilities” and sensory sensitivities, can come together and find restorative common ground. Through a research and co-creation process with local communities, this project will examine existing public spaces - such as playgrounds, streetscapes, and pocket parks - and propose new design guidelines to support the greatest range of physical and neurological differences.

WIP Collaborative Team:
Bryony Roberts
Lindsay Harkema
Sasha Topolnytska
Sonya Gimon
Sera Ghadaki
Abby Coover
Elsa Ponce
Ryan Brooke Thomas

Read more at the Architect’s Newspaper.