What you should know
- Awards Ceremony Recognizes Best Public Design Projects by City Agencies Throughout 2024
- Projects in All Five Boroughs Highlight Adams Administration’s Commitment to Safe, Resilient, Diverse, and Accessible Public Design
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Public Design Commission (PDC) Executive Director Sreoshy Banerjea, and PDC President Deborah Marton, today announced the winners of the 43rd Annual Awards for Excellence in Design. Selected by PDC from hundreds of submissions, this year’s honorees include 13 award winners and two special recognitions that showcase the city’s creative and ongoing commitment to using public design to improve quality of life across the five boroughs. From waterfronts that work with rising waters to historic monuments that uplift underrepresented voices, the winners exemplify the power of design to keep people safe, build a more resilient city, and create more accessible public spaces.
“The architect Jan Gehl has said, ‘First we shape cities, then they shape us.’ The projects we celebrate today embody that creed, showcasing the dynamic interplay between good urban design and safety, health, and success,” said Mayor Adams. “Each of these awardees is helping make New York City the best place to raise a family, using public design to keep our city safe and make our public spaces more accessible and inclusive. Congratulations to all the awardees for helping build the city that every New Yorker deserves.”
“These award-winning projects demonstrate how impactful civic design emerges from genuine collaboration,” said PDC Executive Director Banerjea. “Behind each beautiful space is invisible work: years of multiple agencies coordinating, countless community meetings, and designers solving complex challenges. When diverse perspectives truly come together — across agencies, with communities, alongside talented designers — we transform constraints into innovation that serves all New Yorkers.”
“PDC’s impact is felt everywhere New Yorkers live, work, and gather,” said PDC President Marton. “In an effort to shape projects that will meet needs defined by users, we prioritize community voices. Whether it’s a neighborhood library, flood-resilient waterfront, or new firehouse, we listen and work to help communities achieve their design goals. These projects show how collaboration between designers and public servants tells our shared story, transforming daily life across our city.”
PDC has jurisdiction over permanent structures, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over city-owned property. Its mission is to advocate for innovative, sustainable, and equitable design of public spaces and civic structures, with the goal of improving the public realm and enhancing services for all New Yorkers across the five boroughs.
Since 1983, PDC has recognized well-designed public projects with its Annual Awards for Excellence in Design. The winning projects are selected from submissions reviewed by the commission the previous year and exemplify how innovative and thoughtful design can enhance the livability of the city, serve communities, inspire neighborhood pride, and provide durable and resilient spaces for New Yorkers. These winning projects tackle some of the city's most pressing challenges: adapting to climate change, expanding universal access for New Yorkers with disabilities, honoring diverse cultural traditions, and creating community spaces that serve all New Yorkers equitably.
Design Award-Winning Projects
Project: 79th Street Boat Basin
Location: Riverside Park, Manhattan
Agency: New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks)
Project: Annadale Green Park
Location: Annadale, Staten Island
Agency: NYC Parks
Project: Briarwood Community Library
Location: Briarwood, Queens
Agency: New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), Queens Public Library
Project: Devoe Avenue Streetscape Improvements
Location: Park Versailles, Bronx
Agency: DDC, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT)
Project: Gwen Ifill Park
Location: Jamaica, Queens
Agency: NYC Parks
Project: Hudson-Houston Plaza
Location: Hudson Square, Manhattan
Agency: New York City Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Parks, Hudson Square Business Improvement District
Project: I Am Protected by Jazmine Hayes
Location: Brownsville Multi-Service and Community Empowerment Center, Brownsville, Brooklyn
Agency: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), DDC, New York City Human Resources Administration
Project: Pier 6 Waterfront Park
Location: Bush Terminal Industrial Campus, Industry City, Brooklyn
Agency: NYCEDC
Project: Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Location: Riverside Park, Manhattan
Agency: NYC Parks
Project: The Feeling is Mutual by Justin Valdes
Location: Arverne Community Library, Edgemere, Queens
Agency: DCLA, DDC, Queens Public Library
Project: The Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center
Location: Nostrand Playground, Flatbush, Brooklyn
Agency: DDC, NYC Parks
Project: Wings of Everchange 易之翼 by Jennifer Wen Ma
Location: 70 Mulberry Street Reconstruction, Chinatown, Manhattan
Agency: DCLA, DDC, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services
Project: World's Fair Marina Pavilion Structures
Location: Corona, Queens
Agency: NYC Parks
Special Recognition: Alice Murals & Friends Mural Series
Location: NYC Health + Hospitals
Agency: NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Program
Special Recognition: Slender Bus Shelters
Location: Citywide
Agency: DOT
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